Betfair, a prominent British sports betting operator, has been issued a penalty notice of SEK 4m ($389,194) by the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen). The penalty stems from Betfair’s violation of regulations that prohibit betting on the Under-21 (U21) Allsvenskan football league since its introduction in 2021. The investigation, which commenced on January 31, 2023, confirmed that Betfair had indeed permitted unauthorised bets, leading to this significant penalty.
Betfair’s Infringement and Investigation Findings:
The Swedish Gambling Authority’s investigation revealed that Betfair had allowed customers to place bets on a total of 148 matches from the U21 league between 2021 and 2022, despite it being strictly prohibited. As a result, 224 Swedish customers placed unauthorised bets amounting to SEK 1.1m. Betfair acknowledged their lapse in judgment, admitting that the bets were facilitated due to a lack of routine. The manual filtering process, required to prevent wagering on certain objects like U21 teams, presented an opportunity for mistakes to occur.
Betfair’s Corrective Measures:
In response to the violation, Betfair has taken immediate action to rectify the situation and prevent similar incidents from recurring. They have promptly removed the option to bet on U21 teams from all their platforms accessible in Sweden. Furthermore, Betfair has blocked betting on all Swedish football teams, except those in the top two leagues. These measures are intended to demonstrate Betfair’s commitment to abiding by the regulations set forth by the Swedish Gambling Authority.
Penalty Imposed and Assessment:
While Betfair has taken remedial actions to ensure compliance, the Swedish Gambling Authority has deemed it necessary to impose penalty fees on the operator. In certain circumstances, operators may be able to have the penalty waived; however, an assessment of the case concluded that Betfair’s infringement was too substantial and had persisted for an extended period to warrant such leniency. Consequently, Betfair has been instructed to pay the SEK 4m penalty.
Betfair, the renowned British sports betting operator, has faced a SEK 4m penalty for allowing unauthorised bets on the U21 Allsvenskan football league in Sweden. The Swedish Gambling Authority’s investigation uncovered that Betfair had facilitated betting on 148 matches from the U21 league between 2021 and 2022, contravening the regulations that came into effect in 2021. Betfair has accepted responsibility for the lapse, attributing it to a lack of routine in manually filtering out ineligible wagering objects. To prevent future violations, Betfair has taken proactive steps by eliminating the option to bet on U21 teams and blocking betting on all Swedish football teams, except those in the top two leagues. Despite these corrective measures, the Swedish Gambling Authority has imposed the penalty due to the magnitude and duration of the infringement. By adhering to the imposed penalty and implementing stricter protocols, Betfair aims to uphold the integrity of the Swedish gambling market going forward.