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BOS Claims Swedish Banking Institutions Have Suspended Services Provided to Licensed Gambling Operators
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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The former Brazil star visited CreedRoomz’ Yerevan studio as the supplier prepares Kickoff Roulette and Marble Cup.
Ronaldinho Gaúcho has partnered with live casino supplier CreedRoomz to develop two football-themed live games, Kickoff Roulette and Marble Cup. The company said the collaboration was officially unveiled in Yerevan, where Ronaldinho visited CreedRoomz’ headquarters and filming studios.
CreedRoomz said Ronaldinho toured the studio floor, met development and production teams, and took part in filming activity intended to integrate his on-screen presence into the live product.
According to the company, Kickoff Roulette is a live roulette title built around a football-stadium presentation and includes Ronaldinho-themed elements such as voiceovers. Marble Cup is positioned as a live game show in a football-themed studio environment, with gameplay designed around fast-paced rounds and betting options.
“It is amazing to be here. The incredible Yerevan energy and the warm welcome at the office have been fantastic. Stepping onto this digital pitch is a thrill because these are totally unique games. I am proud to be the ambassador for these games.” said Ronaldinho during the interview.
CreedRoomz said the timing is designed to align with increased football audience attention around major tournaments, with a focus on engagement and retention. No launch date, operator rollout plan, or market availability details were disclosed.
The post Ronaldinho partners with CreedRoomz on football-themed live casino games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Tickets go on sale May 29 for the seven-week Paris event running July 6 to August 23, with a $75 million prize pool across 25 competitions.
The Esports Foundation (EF) has confirmed Paris Expo Porte de Versailles as the venue for the Esports World Cup 2026, scheduled for July 06 through August 23 in Paris, France.
Ticket sales open Friday, May 29, 2026 via esportsworldcup.com/tickets. EF said the event will run for seven weeks and span 25 competitions, with more than 2,000 players from over 200 Clubs and more than 100 countries competing for a $75 million prize pool.
EF said Paris Expo Porte de Versailles will host competition arenas, broadcast operations, fan activations, and festival experiences. The organiser also pointed to the venue’s track record as the home of Paris Games Week since 2010 and as a site used during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Ticketing includes Regular Tournament Passes and Premium Tournament Passes, alongside Daily Regular Tournament Passes. For select championship matches across VALORANT, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike 2, EF said “Final Day Seating Zones” will be split into Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers.
The published schedule lists Week 1 events including VALORANT (July 9–12), ALGS Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs for Apex Legends (July 7–11), Dota 2 (July 7–12), and FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (July 8–11), concluding in Week 7 with Counter-Strike 2 (August 19–23), Fortnite Reload Elite Series Championship (August 19–22), Trackmania (August 19–22), and CROSSFIRE (August 18–22).
The post Esports Foundation sets Esports World Cup 2026 venue at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
An engaged, mobile-first audience represents one of the biggest revenue opportunities in the global sports betting market.
Optimove, the #1 player engagement platform for iGaming and sports betting operators, today released its LATAM 2026 World Cup Betting Intentions Report, revealing that 86% of Latin American bettors plan to place bets on the tournament.
The study was conducted by Optimove Insights, the company’s research and data analytics division.
The report positions Latin American audiences as mature, highly engaged, and mobile-focused bettors. The combination of strong interest, confidence, and continuous engagement, even after their national team is eliminated, creates a significant opportunity for the industry.
Among bettors planning to participate, 75% have already bet on a previous World Cup, including 20% who bet in both 2018 and 2022.
The remaining 25% will be betting on a World Cup for the first time, driven by the expansion of legal sports betting across the region.
At the same time, 94% describe themselves as moderately or highly confident in their betting knowledge, reinforcing that this is an experienced audience that expects precise and relevant communication.
The LATAM 2026 World Cup Betting Intentions Report is based on a survey of 882 bettors worldwide, conducted in early 2026, including 264 respondents from Latin America.
Research highlights
- High confidence and year-round engagement. 60% of Latin American bettors rate themselves as highly confident in their betting knowledge, while another 34% consider themselves moderately confident—totaling 94%. Additionally, 35% bet on football several times per week, and another 26% do so weekly.
- Strong loyalty to national teams. 90% support a favorite national team during the World Cup. When their team plays, 50% say they will definitely bet, and another 37% are very likely to bet. Even after elimination, 78% will continue betting.
- Live betting and multi-betting behavior. 77% plan to bet live during the tournament. For 33%, this is the preferred format, while 44% combine pre-match and live betting.
- Push notifications dominate communication. 38% prefer push notifications as their main communication channel, far ahead of email, which is preferred by only 14%.
- The World Cup as an engagement accelerator. 91% will continue betting on football after the tournament. Among their preferred destinations, 72% will move to the Copa Libertadores, 62% to the UEFA Champions League, and 34% to the Premier League.
- Use of multiple betting operators. 65% plan to use two or more platforms during the tournament. The main selection criteria are ease of use (59%), promotions (52%), and a trusted, familiar platform (46%).
“This is one of the most engaged sports betting audiences in the world. Nearly nine in ten Latin American bettors will follow the World Cup through betting and remain active year-round, mobile-first, and demanding personalization, not generic promotions.
Operators that succeed in LATAM will be those able to match this level of intensity with equally precise communication.
This is what Positionless Marketing enables,” said Optimove Founder and CEO Pini Yakuel.
To the full report here.
Optimove
Optimove is the creator of the Positionless Marketing concept and the #1 player engagement platform for iGaming and sports betting operators.
Positionless Marketing frees marketing teams from fixed-role limitations, empowering every marketer to execute any task instantly and independently.
Positionless Marketing has been proven to improve campaign efficiency by 88%, enabling marketing teams to drive more personalized engagement with existing customers.
For the second consecutive year, Optimove was named a Visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs, recognized for its AI-driven decisioning, prescriptive insights, and ability to orchestrate thousands of real-time personalized campaigns across channels.
AI-driven marketing is a hallmark of Optimove’s leadership.
By embedding AI directly into its platform since 2012, Optimove helped establish today’s Positionless Marketing standard.
Its platform includes Optimove Engage and Orchestrate for cross-channel campaign decisioning and orchestration; Optimove Personalize, a digital personalization engine; and Optimove Gamify, a loyalty and gamification platform.
Today, its full AI-powered suite is at the forefront of enabling marketers to streamline workflows from insight to creation and optimization.
Optimove delivers industry- and use-case-specific solutions for leading consumer brands worldwide.
Optimove insights
Optimove Insights is Optimove’s analytics and research arm, dedicated to delivering valuable market insights and data-driven research to empower B2C businesses.
The post Optimove report reveals: 86% of Latam plan to bet on the FIFA World Cup 2026 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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