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

Published

5 years ago

April 26, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

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.”

Brazil

RubyPlay launches casino titles on Flutter-owned Betnacional in Brazil

Published

26 minutes ago

July 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

rubyplay-launches-casino-titles-on-flutter-owned-betnacional-in-brazil

RubyPlay has launched its casino games with Betnacional in Brazil, extending its reach in the country’s regulated iGaming market. The rollout was announced on 22nd July 2026 and involves Flutter-owned Betnacional via Flutter Brazil.

According to the companies, the partnership was facilitated by Flutter Brazil, the Brazilian arm of Flutter Entertainment formed following its acquisition of NSX Group, the creators of Betnacional.

Betnacional is now live with a selection of RubyPlay Studio titles including Brilliant Gems and Gummy Giga Match®. The operator has also added Koala Games content, including Voltage Blitz® Zeus Up and other releases from the Voltage Blitz® series.

Dima Reiderman, Chief Commercial Officer at RubyPlay, said: “Betnacional is a major player in Brazil’s regulated market, and this partnership represents an important milestone in our continued growth across LatAm. Partnering with one of Brazil’s leading operators further strengthens our position in one of the industry’s most dynamic regulated markets and reinforces our commitment to delivering content that resonates with local audiences.

“Our layered studio ecosystem allows us to combine speed to market, localised content and a broad range of player experiences, making us a strong long-term content partner for leading operators such as Betnacional.”

Frederico Cunha, Head of Games at Flutter Brazil, added: “We are always looking for opportunities to enhance our casino proposition and diversify the content available on our platform.

“Bringing RubyPlay’s games to Betnacional supports that goal and provides our players with access to additional entertainment options.”

The post RubyPlay launches casino titles on Flutter-owned Betnacional in Brazil appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Brazil

DEGEN Studios goes live with Superbet in Brazil

Published

26 minutes ago

July 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

degen-studios-goes-live-with-superbet-in-brazil

Deal adds DEGEN’s full current catalogue to Superbet, with future slot releases planned for rollout.

DEGEN Studios has launched its games with Superbet in Brazil, making the studio’s full existing catalogue available to the operator’s players, with future releases also set to be added.

Superbet is the leading commercial brand of Super Technologies and is described by the company as a top-three ranked operator in Brazil. The rollout positions DEGEN’s current and upcoming titles within Superbet’s casino offering in the market.

Titles included in the launch include Plague City. DEGEN also flagged upcoming title Howl N’ Huff as part of its planned content roadmap for Superbet.

Danny Gordon, Head of Studio at DEGEN Studios, said: “Superbet is exactly the kind of brand we want to partner with. It has built a strong audience in Brazil and a reputation for delivering entertainment-led experiences. That is the type of stage our games are made for.”

Caterina Chatzipantazi, Director of Commercial Partnerships – Gaming at Super Technologies, added: “We always explore new ways to thrill our customers, and this partnership exemplifies this mindset. DEGEN Studios brings a very different energy to the casino mix. Their games have a clear sense of identity, with worlds and mechanics that feel distinct from more conventional content. For us, this partnership adds something novel to the player experience, building on a strong portfolio of proven games while introducing innovations that can potentially shape the future of entertainment.”

The post DEGEN Studios goes live with Superbet in Brazil appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Affiliate Succes

Gambling Zone rolls out casino comparison tool for UK players

Published

26 minutes ago

July 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

gambling-zone-rolls-out-casino-comparison-tool-for-uk-players

Interactive feature lets users compare licensed UK online casinos by bonuses, games, payout times and Gambling Zone ratings.

Gambling Zone has launched the Gambling Zone Casino Comparison Tool, a new feature aimed at helping UK players compare online casinos in one place.

The tool allows side-by-side comparisons of “trusted UK online casinos,” pulling together information including casino bonuses, free spins, game selection and payout times. Gambling Zone also assigns each casino an overall rating based on its review process, giving users a single view for assessing differences between brands.

Michael Vella, Brand Manager at Gambling Zone, said: “Choosing an online casino shouldn’t mean opening dozens of browser tabs just to compare bonuses, wagering requirements or withdrawal times. We wanted to build a tool that puts all of the important information in one place, making it quicker and easier for players to compare licensed operators and decide which one is right for them.

“The comparison tool is another step in our commitment to creating genuinely useful resources for players. Alongside our expert reviews and casino guides, it’s designed to give users greater transparency and confidence when choosing where to play.”

Gambling Zone said the launch is part of a wider strategy to build practical decision-support tools alongside its reviews, guides and educational content. The Casino Comparison tool is now live.

The post Gambling Zone rolls out casino comparison tool for UK players appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.