SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has ruled that four operators have been cleared following allegations that they had offered markets on sporting events which included a ‘majority of participants’ under the age of 18.
ATG, Betsson, Hillside Sports and Kindred Group-owned Spooniker all had cases cleared by Spelinspektionen after it was initially thought that the four operators had offered markets on the individual performances of under-18 players in a football match.
Swedish laws and definitions on underage match wagering are established under ‘Gambling Act Chapter 8‘ provisions.
The regulator has previously suggested that offering markets on underage players can be seen to increase the danger of minors being exposed to attempts to manipulate sporting results.
Hillside, the operating subsidiary of bet365 in Sweden, has previously been issued a penalty fee of SEK10m (£801,108) after the regulator said the operator had offered odds on five football matches in which a majority of players were underage.
Spelinspektionen has since reviewed the penalties, stating that none of the four operators had breached license conditions as the featured players who were eligible for the bets in the games were, for the most part, over the age of 18.
In its ruling, Spelinspektionen has confirmed that it is working towards the development of regulations which will focus on bans and restrictions on betting in order to tackle match-fixing in professional sport. The regulator said betting on the individual performance of under-18s will be taken into account when drafting these rules.
