Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
A Swedish court has upheld SEK22 million in anti-money laundering fines against Betsson Nordic, Snabbare and Spooniker, while rejecting part of the regulator reasoning in two cases.
Good to Know
- Betsson must pay SEK6.5 million, Snabbare SEK5.5 million and Spooniker SEK10 million.
- Betsson and Snabbare breaches were serious but not systematic.
- Spooniker breaches counted as repeated because of an earlier warning.
Previous Winnings Do Not Clear New Deposits
The Administrative Court in Linköping rejected all three appeals on July 2, leaving every warning and fine unchanged. Spelinspektionen announced the rulings the next day.
All three disputes centred on one AML question. Operators had treated some deposits as low risk because customers had previously withdrawn gambling winnings, often through the same bank account.
The court rejected that approach. It said an assumption that new deposits came from earlier winnings did not qualify as enhanced customer due diligence. Operators still need enough information to verify source of funds and assess money laundering risk.
Betsson faced findings involving eight customers aged between 20 and 29 who deposited SEK133,584 to SEK491,950 over several months. The court agreed that a small customer sample did not prove systematic failure, but it still classified the breaches as serious.
Snabbare received the same narrow concession. Its case covered 10 customers with deposits ranging from around SEK950,000 to SEK3.2 million. Manual reviews and a report to Finanspolisen did not persuade the court that monitoring had happened early enough.
Spooniker received no similar relief. Five customers formed part of its case, but a 2022 AML warning involved comparable failings. Judges therefore treated the later breaches as repeated. The earlier case concerned weak enhanced due diligence and customer risk controls.
The rulings give licensed Swedish gambling operators a direct compliance test. Closed-loop payments, previous withdrawals and recycled winnings cannot replace bank statements or other reliable financial evidence when deposit levels create higher risk.
All three decisions can be appealed to the Administrative Court of Appeal in Jönköping.
FAQ
How much were the three fines?
Betsson received SEK6.5 million, Snabbare SEK5.5 million and Spooniker SEK10 million.
Were all breaches systematic?
No. The court found the Betsson and Snabbare breaches serious but not systematic.
Why were Spooniker breaches repeated?
Spooniker had already received a warning in 2022 for similar AML weaknesses.
Can gambling winnings prove source of funds?
Not by themselves. Operators must carry out further checks when customer activity presents a higher money laundering risk.
The post Swedish Court Upholds AML Fines Against Betsson, Snabbare and Spooniker appeared first on iGaming.org.