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BOS Claims Swedish Banking Institutions Have Suspended Services Provided to Licensed Gambling Operators

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Gustaf Hoffstedt, secretary-general of the Swedish trade association Branscheforenigen för Onlinespel (BOS), has claimed that all of the country’s major banking institutions have suspended services they provide to licensed gambling operators.

BOS said that “all major Nordic banks” – including SEB, Swedbank, Nordea, Handelsbanken, DNB Nor and Danske Bank – stopped providing services to Swedish-licensed gambling operators at some point this year.

Claiming this is in violation of Swedish law, Hoffstedt has filed a complaint to the country’s Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen).

Most of these banks, Hoffstedt said, cited internal risk assessments or Sweden’s Anti-Money Laundering Act (PTL) as the reasons for account closures. The BOS secretary-general added that “in some cases the banks have not stated any reason at all”.

“As far as I am aware, no concrete justification for the dismissals and banks’ assessment has been provided in any case,” Hoffstedt said.

Hoffstedt added that gambling operators cannot function without banking services.

“Online gambling companies are, as stated above, dependent on basic financial infrastructure in the form of banking and payment services to conduct their business,” he explained. “This requires [them] to be able to store customers’ funds as well as receive deposits and make payments to customers.”

He added that the suspension of services meant that operators could no longer use Bank-ID, used to verify players’ identities. This meant they had lost access to a tool that was vital for fighting fraud and money laundering, Hoffstedt.

“Without access to the Bank-ID system, online gambling companies need to use alternative solutions to identify their customers. These solutions risk being neither as effective for companies nor as safe for users,” he explained.

Swedish Banks also provide the Swish payment service, which Hoffstedt said was also “very important” for operators.

Hoffstedt said that the banks’ decisions had worsened operating conditions for the country’s igaming licensees, as well as counteracting the goals of the Gambling Act.

He went as far as arguing that the actions were illegal.

Hoffstedt said banks have a contractual obligation to continue to provide banking services to these customers, unless there is a clear reason to break this agreement. Only in incidents where continuing to provide banking services would violate the PTL, or if the banking customer had committed misconduct, could agreements be broken, he claimed.

While Hoffstedt noted that banks may terminate agreements if they suspect a customer has connections to money laundering, he pointed out the PTL made clear that these assessments are at the customer level. They can, therefore, not be applied on a sweeping basis to a legal industry.

“Given that a large proportion of BOS members also received notice or notice of termination from the banks – all with general and overarching references to the risk of money laundering in the business – it seems obvious that the basis for the dismissals is a general business policy decision rather than a valid application of PTL,” he said.

“Under these circumstances, there is no possibility for the banks to deviate from their contractual obligation.”

BOS requested a dialogue with the Financial Supervisory Authority and said the regulator “should initiate a supervisory investigation of the banks’ handling and possibly intervene against the banks”.

SEB – one of the banks mentioned by BOS – however, argued it was not systematically ending relationships with gambling operators but rather examined the risk for every client on an individual basis.

“We always make an individual assessment of individual client relationships,“ SEB said. “When it comes to gambling companies, we generally have a cautious approach based on the raised risk level, not least connected to risks relating to money laundering and financial crime.”

Danske Bank, meanwhile, denied it had a policy specifically preventing gambling businesses from operating, but did say these businesses undergo a stricter screening process.

“Danske Bank does not exclude banking services for gambling operations as such,” Danske Bank said. “However, our assessment is that the gambling industry in general is associated with high risk and due to that we have tailored screening principles to ensure that the companies operate responsibly.

“In a case where a specific gambling client does not meet the requirements of our KYC-process or ESG-assessment, the ultimate consequence could be that we limit our offerings or refrain from enter into a business relationship.”

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Score Queens launches with free-to-play World Cup predictor game Palace Picks

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Score Queens, a new female-first sports gaming community, has launched with Palace Picks, a free-to-play daily predictor game created for this summer’s World Cup.

Palace Picks runs throughout the tournament and asks players to answer five multiple-choice predictor questions plus one score prediction linked to that day’s matches. Players collect “Jewels” through participation, which the company says can be used to unlock raffle tickets for the headline prize.

The product has been developed in collaboration with Two-Up, a digital agency focused on sports, betting and gaming experiences. Score Queens said the partnership combines its brand positioning with Two-Up’s product, UX and digital delivery work.

The launch prize, sponsored by Vision4Sport, is a Monaco Grand Prix 2027 experience for one winner and a guest. The package includes Friday attendance with two grandstand passes, two superyacht party tickets in Port Hercule with food and drinks, and £1,500 towards flights and accommodation. Score Queens values the prize at over £5,000.

Kitty Miller, Founder of Score Queens, said: “Score Queens came from a very simple frustration. Women are already watching sport, talking about sport and being part of the big sporting moments, but so much of the betting and gaming world still feels like it wasn’t built with us in mind.

“Palace Picks is our first step in changing that. It is free to play, easy to join, and designed to bring more women into the sporting conversation through play, prediction, culture and community. We wanted to create something that feels fun, social and accessible, without dumbing anything down.”

The post Score Queens launches with free-to-play World Cup predictor game Palace Picks appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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SkillOnNet launches Konami Online Interactive iGaming content in Mexico

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SkillOnNet has launched Konami Online Interactive’s iGaming portfolio in Mexico, making Konami Gaming, Inc. casino titles available to players via its Spanish-language site, PlayUZU.

Mexico is the first market in what the companies described as a broader multi-country rollout planned over the coming months, targeting additional regulated jurisdictions.

PlayUZU players in Mexico will have access to Konami slot titles including China Shores™, All Aboard™, African Diamond™ and BOMBERMAN BLAST™, a game inspired by Konami’s BOMBERMAN video games.

Jani Kontturi, Head of Games at SkillOnNet said: “Konami Online Interactive has developed some of the industry’s most recognisable casino titles, and we’re proud to partner with them to introduce this content to our players in Mexico. These are iconic games with proven appeal both on land and online.”

Eduardo Aching, Vice President of iGaming & International Gaming Operations at Konami Gaming, Inc. said: “SkillOnNet’s proven track record makes them an ideal partner as we continue to grow the reach of Konami content internationally. We are excited to expand our games with players in Mexico through this collaboration and further strengthen our presence in Latin America.”

The post SkillOnNet launches Konami Online Interactive iGaming content in Mexico appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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ThrillTech rolls out ThrillPots jackpot side-bet with Lottomart in UK and Gibraltar

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Lottomart launches Flash Pots, adding ThrillTech’s operator-branded jackpots to its regulated markets.

ThrillTech has launched its ThrillPots™ side-bet jackpot product with Lottomart across the operator’s regulated UK and Gibraltar markets.

The rollout introduces Flash Pots, a ThrillPots™-powered jackpot game integrated within Lottomart’s gaming platform. ThrillTech said the deployment expands its UK footprint and adds another regulated-market operator to its integration network.

ThrillPots™ is an operator-branded jackpot layer designed to sit alongside existing betting and gaming products. Players opt in by placing a small additional stake alongside eligible gameplay—such as slots, live casino games or sports bets—for a chance to enter pooled jackpot prizes.

Ben Bradtke, Co-Founder of ThrillTech, said: “Lottomart is exactly the kind of operator ThrillPots is built for. Lottomart is renowned for offering the excitement of jackpots and we’re delighted that ThrillPots™ can elevate the experience for players.”

Chris Ruddock, Commercial Director at Lottomart commented: “Jackpot-centric gaming is core to the Lottomart experience, making this partnership a natural evolution of our offering. While our players are already engaged with our Jackpot pooled prizes, this collaboration allows us to bring a uniquely branded proposition to our players. We are thrilled to introduce Flash Pots, our new ThrillPots™ powered jackpot, to the site.”

ThrillTech said it is now live across 10 regulated jurisdictions and has recently announced partnerships with NordPlay, EstrelaBet in Brazil, the Tote Group and BVGroup’s UK brands such as Betano, talkSPORT Bet and Heart Bingo. The company also said it holds ISO 27001 certification.

The post ThrillTech rolls out ThrillPots jackpot side-bet with Lottomart in UK and Gibraltar appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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