A major crackdown on the black gaming market in Denmark has been given the nod by the Frederiksberg court. As a result of the court’s ruling, the country’s gambling regulatory body will be permitted to suspend a total of 82 gambling websites that have been offering their products to local customers without the required operating licenses.
Now, Denmark’s gambling watchdog has been finally permitted to unleash its biggest ban wave so far, amid the intensifying battle between legal and illegal gambling services in the country. As mentioned above, the Spillemyndigheden has received official permission to proceed with some planned regulatory enforcement action, which aims at blocking a whopping 82 offshore gambling platforms. Reportedly, this is the eighth ban imposed by the regulatory authority since Denmark’s 2012 Gambling Act was rolled out about a decade ago.
The previous biggest enforcement action of the country’s gambling watchdog took place last year when another 55 offshore websites got blocked. Over the last decade, a total of 227 online gambling platforms have been suspended by the Spillemyndigheden, with the regulatory body still fighting against the companies that operate in the black market. As previously revealed, the watchdog remains aimed at eliminating unlicensed gambling from the country and making sure local individuals are able to gamble in a healthy ecosystem.
The director of the Danish gambling authority, Anders Dorph, explained that the regulator was also committed to securing a fair and safe framework and described the fight against illegal offshore gambling companies as a matter of paramount priority.
Offshore Gambling Operators Hurt Local Gambling Sector and the Entire Danish Economy, Gambling Regulator Says
For the time being, the Spillemyndigheden primarily bans websites that run without the necessary operating license and target the Danish market. According to the regulatory body, such websites include any platform that is illegally marketed in the country, offers products to local audiences, offers customer service in Danish, and accepts Danish currency and Denmark-specific cards for payments.
The gambling regulatory body uses a combination of Artificial Intelligence-based search algorithms, customer reports and inquiries to identify offshore gambling companies. The authority officers first contact such gambling platforms and ask them to exit the Danish market. If an illegal operator refuses to do so, then legal action might be necessary to force it out of the country.
Danish gambling watchdog and its director are concerned that foreign online gambling companies that operate illegally in the country lack the necessary responsibility and tools to make sure their customers are properly protected against gambling-related harm. In addition, such websites steal customers and siphon funds from the legal gambling market in the country, which eventually hurts the local economy.
A few months ago, in July, the Spillemyndigheden joined forces with the country’s Government to roll out a new scheme aimed at the prevention of money laundering, as well as the prevention of other gambling-related crimes, such as terrorism funding and fraud. According to the regulatory body, the entire legal gambling sector took part in the formulation of the new counter-terrorism financing and anti-money laundering strategy.
