Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gaming Inspectorate, has warned Betsson about its conduct following an investigation which revealed that the gambling operator had broken match betting rules.
According to the regulator, Betsson accepted bets on penalties awarded for fouls during a match between Swedish teams Malmö FF and IF Elfsborg on 20th May 2021. Under Swedish gambling laws, bookmakers are forbidden from allowing customers to bet on rule violations including penalties, and both yellow and red cards.
The law was first introduced to discourage match-fixing and players accepting bribes to intentionally break the rules. However, Betsson has denied that any such activity took place and that, it had not actually breached any rules as the bet was part of a combination game. Spelinspektionen rejected the operator’s claim and issued a warning.
In statement the regulator said:
“Betsson Nordic Ltd has offered betting on penalties for violating the rules of a football match, which is not permitted in connection with a match, competition or tournament. The Swedish Gaming Inspectorate does not consider that the betting has only been offered as part of a combination game makes any difference.”
Following the regulator’s decision, the combination game was declared void and Betsson was ordered to refund SEK 3,000 (€299) to players who had made wagers through this particular game.
Betsson has since distanced itself from the third-party provider that had offered the combination game and assured the regulator that this will not happen again. For this reason, Spelinspektionen has decided that no further action is necessary stating:
“Based on the degree of seriousness that the Swedish Gaming Inspectorate has assessed with regard to the violation, a remark is a sufficient intervention.”
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