Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority, has imposed fines and sanctions on five nonprofit organizations, including political and cancer advocacy groups. Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

The fines are for violating gambling marketing rules by using misleading and aggressive tactics in lottery sales.

The regulator fined the Swedish Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SAP), its young wing SSU, and the Swedish Social Democratic Women’s League (S-kvinnor) SEK 3,000,000 ($313,245). 

Meanwhile, the Swedish Breast Cancer Association and the Swedish Prostate Cancer Association were fined SEK 1,000,000 ($104,415).

The difference in fines is partially due to the annual turnover of the organizations. Additionally, the SAP, SSU, and S-kvinnor are all nonprofit and political organizations, which raises concerns about public and political trust.

Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

The regulator’s sanctions result from an investigation into the Kombilotteriet, a lottery that the organizations run through their Kombispel subsidiary.

The violations were first brought to light by a Dagens Nyheter newspaper probe. After the media coverage, the Swedish Consumer Agency found that the organizations violated marketing laws.

Spelinspektionen initiated an investigation and confirmed that, as license holders, SAP, SSU, and S-kvinnor failed to supervise Kombispel and its subcontracted telemarketing partners properly.

The regulator concluded that the subcontractors employed aggressive and misleading sales tactics in connection with telephone sales of lottery tickets. 

They used these tactics to target elderly individuals, who are more susceptible to intrusive sales methods.

Among the tactics were:

• Suggesting that purchasing a lottery ticket was a donation to a good cause, instead of a type of gambling.
• Pressuring consumers into immediate decisions without fully understanding that they are accepting a subscription service.
• Sending invoices to individuals who never consented to participate in the lottery.

Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

Spelinspektionen also launched an investigation into the Swedish Breast Cancer Association and the Swedish Prostate Cancer Association following multiple complaints received by the Swedish Consumer Agency.

After the investigation, the gambling authority found similar failures to those of SAP, SSU, and S-kvinnor in the oversight of Datumlotteriet, a charity lottery operated by the two cancer organizations.

As with the Kombilotteriet case, the two associations subcontracted the day-to-day operations to a third-party company. That company then subcontracted telephone sales to telemarketing agencies.

The investigation found that vulnerable consumers received invoices for lottery tickets they never consented to purchasing. Many were unaware that they had enrolled in a subscription.

Spelinspektionen concluded that the sales tactics of the telemarketing agencies were unfair and misleading. Similar to the Kombilotteriet case, the telemarketers suggested that ticket purchases directly contributed to cancer causes, potentially misleading consumers’ decisions.

As a result, the regulator found that the two cancer associations had failed to maintain proper control over their subcontractors. Thereby, they violated the relevant provisions of the Gambling Act.

Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

The fines imposed by Spelinspektionen come amid rising interest in charitable lotteries.

Just days before the penalties were announced, the regulator published its Q1 2025 financial results. For the quarter, the regulated gambling market in Sweden generated SEK 6.61 billion ($693.4 million), representing a 0.9% decline compared to the same period in the previous year.

Notably, while most segments experienced declining or flat revenue, charitable lottery gaming was the only one to grow with a 3.5% annual increase. In comparison, the state-run lottery segment experienced a 3% decrease.

While the public’s interest in charitable lotteries is increasing, the recent violations could harm the segment, as consumer confidence may decrease.

Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

The fines imposed on the five nonprofit organizations were announced about a month after Spelinspektionen fined gambling operator Videoslots (which has rebranded to Immense Group) SEK 12 million ($1.3 million) for failing to protect users from excessive gambling.

The decision followed a 2024 investigation into 12 player accounts, five of whom were aged 18 to 24 years old. All of those accounts exhibited clear signs of problem gambling.

Despite system alerts, Videoslots only issued basic warnings, failing to follow proper protocols, such as imposing deposit limits or suspending accounts deemed risky. That resulted in one of the players wagering over $433,00 in a month. Meanwhile, another made 28 deposits in one day.

While Videoslots contested the ruling, stating it had followed proper procedures, the regulator dismissed its claims. The fine marked the second major fine Spelinspektionen imposed on the operator. In 2023, it fined Videoslots SEK 9 million ($939,607) for anti-money laundering failures.