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LeoVegas has successfully challenged a major sanction imposed by Sweden’s gambling regulator, with the Administrative Court in Linköping ruling in its favour.
The case centred on a fine of SEK8 million (about $852,867) issued in March 2025 by Spelinspektionen, which accused the Malta‑based operator, trading locally as Roar Vegas, of failing to meet its duty of care obligations under the Gambling Act.
After reviewing the evidence and hearing legal arguments from the company, the court concluded that the regulator’s case did not hold. Judges found the material presented against LeoVegas lacked clarity and did not justify the penalty.
In its decision on 12 June, the court fully overturned the sanction, removing the financial penalty and clearing the operator of the alleged breaches.
Background of the case
The dispute traces back to a supervisory review carried out by Spelinspektionen on 25 March 2025.
The regulator examined Roar Vegas’ responsible‑gaming practices during the first quarter of 2024, focusing on how the operator handled its highest‑loss customers. Twelve accounts were sampled, split between players aged 18–24 and those over 25.
Three accounts stood out to the authority, with each having unusually high monthly deposit limits, ranging from SEK100,000 to SEK300,000, alongside clear signs of excessive play. These included rapid deposits, heavy losses within short periods, and long gambling sessions.
Spelinspektionen argued that Roar Vegas failed to step in quickly enough to help these customers, saying the support offered was late and insufficient. Considering the seriousness of the breaches, Spelinspektionen issued a reprimand and imposed an administrative fine of SEK8 million.
Although the operator eventually introduced measures that reduced gambling activity, the regulator judged them inadequate.
Roar Vegas used its comprehensive monitoring system as defense
Roar Vegas challenged the regulator’s decision by pointing to its monitoring system, which combines automated alerts with manual checks to flag risky play.
The operator argued that it had already enforced deposit limits and suspensions on the accounts in question, while also using a step‑by‑step approach to behavioural interventions before tightening restrictions further.
The company insisted that some of the warning signs highlighted by Spelinspektionen, such as long log‑in times or quick losses after deposits, were common among sports bettors and should not automatically be treated as proof of problem gambling.
Roar also noted that before legislative changes took effect on 1 June 2024, there was uncertainty about how operators could process personal health and financial data, which made responsible‑gaming assessments more complex.
Roar’s detailed records and system weakened SGA’s case
In its ruling, the Administrative Court in Linköping (case no. 3061‑25) sided with Roar. Judges said the regulator’s evidence lacked clarity and did not meet the standard required to justify a fine.
They acknowledged that three accounts showed high deposit limits and rapid losses, but also recognised that Roar’s system had issued alerts, imposed mandatory limits, and suspended accounts when necessary.
The court accepted that while some interventions could have been faster, delays were not serious enough to amount to a breach.
The judgment also agreed with Roar’s position that the duty of care does not set strict timelines for intervention. Instead, operators must balance privacy, voluntary measures, and escalation in a way that fits the continuous nature of online gambling.
Detailed records of Roar’s actions and system improvements further weakened the regulator’s case, leading the court to overturn the SEK8 million fine.
Source: iGamingBusiness
