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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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In the world of affiliate marketing, a little chaos is usually the norm. Managing dozens of websites across different regions often means endless firefighting. Enter Alexandros Michas, who was recently appointed as the Head of Website Operations at Media 24. In this interview, we talked with Alexandros about how he is replacing chaotic, site-by-site fixes with a single blueprint to turn standard affiliate sites into true digital platforms.
A few months ago, you were appointed as the Head of Website Operations at Media 24. To give our readers a look behind the scenes, what exactly does this role involve, and what are the main things you focus on in this position?
My job is to take the big-picture goals discussed with our CEO and figure out how we actually build them. I translate high-level business strategy into a concrete technical roadmap and take responsibility for it and everything that goes into our websites.
Day-to-day, I am leading our talented and experienced team of site managers. Together, we look at our portfolio of websites not just as platforms, but as products. We are constantly tweaking site functionality, brainstorming new product features, and upgrading the user experience. The ultimate goal is to move past standard affiliate landing pages and build something stickier. We want our websites to be the definitive, go-to destination where sports bettors in any given region don’t just visit once to find a bookmaker, but actively want to return to for value.
With dozens of websites in the portfolio, how do you prevent operational chaos? What does a scalable architecture look like for a modern affiliate house?
Honestly, if you treat every site like its own special project, you’ll drown in chaos overnight. The secret is standardisation.
Of course, every region has its own local specifics that we have to adapt to, and we do so by having locals as website managers. But underneath it all, we build everything on a single, shared blueprint. When we design a new feature, we don’t just build it for one site. We build it to level up the whole portfolio at once. It also makes expanding into a new market much easier. If a promising new region opens up tomorrow, we don’t have to start from scratch. We just drop in a product that’s already battle-tested and ready to go.
I’ve also set up teams around each GEO and manager, which include SEO specialists, content managers, and others, to ensure a smooth and efficient workflow.
Since you rely on a single blueprint, how do you manage the human element? How much freedom do your site managers have to experiment in their local markets versus sticking to the playbook?
Our site managers are the true experts in their specific regions, so they have total autonomy over their local content plans and figuring out what makes bettors in their area tick. They own that local strategy completely, while the blueprint just ensures they are building on a rock-solid foundation.
Because they are on the ground, I actually encourage them to constantly pitch product improvements. I always listen to their suggestions because a great idea shouldn’t just stay on one site. If a manager finds a feature that works incredibly well for their audience, we don’t just keep it there. We roll it into our core blueprint so the entire portfolio benefits from it.
The company has shifted toward building true digital platforms rather than just simple affiliate sites that rank. In practice, what is the biggest difference between those two approaches?
The biggest difference is value and retention. A simple affiliate site is transactional. It’s built entirely around SEO keywords just to capture a click, send the user to a sportsbook, and hope for a conversion. If Google tweaks its algorithm, that site is incredibly vulnerable because users have no real loyalty to it.
A digital platform, on the other hand, is an actual product. We aren’t just trying to get a click. We are trying to be a helpful place for the sports bettor. That means building features, community, and data hubs. It takes a lot more time and energy to maintain, but it turns a casual visitor into a loyal user. They don’t just find us on Google once. They bookmark the site and keep coming back because the product itself is valuable.
The World Cup is live right now. An event of this scale is a massive test for any affiliate. How did you approach the preparation for this global tournament from a product perspective, and what features did you ship to keep bettors engaged?
We knew the traffic spikes would be insane, so preparation actually started months ago. From a product perspective, the ultimate goal was instant utility. During a massive event like this, users want their information immediately, without any friction.
Feature-wise, we shipped an advanced match centre, a tournament bracket simulator, and worked heavily on upgrading our entire content strategy specifically for the World Cup. Because of the shared framework we talked about earlier, we didn’t have to build these tools site-by-site. Our blueprint allowed us to deploy these advanced features across all of our sports betting properties simultaneously, giving every region a premium product at the same time.
When the final whistle blows on the World Cup and we look back at the rest of 2026, what will have to happen for you to look back and say we absolutely nailed it?
On the data side, I want to look at our metrics and see a clear spike in returning users. That will be the ultimate proof that our platform strategy is actually working.
But our upgrades and feature improvements don’t just stop with the World Cup. We already have plenty of things in the pipeline, and we are planning a massive push right before the main European leagues kick off late this summer.
At the end of the day, I’ll know we nailed it if our site managers are effortlessly launching these new features, seeing the direct results of their work, and feeling like they have the absolute best tools in the industry to win their markets. That would be proof that we didn’t just build websites. We built a highly scalable affiliate product.
The post Alexandros Michas on Building Platforms, Not Pages appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
In the world of affiliate marketing, a little chaos is usually the norm. Managing dozens of websites across different regions often means endless firefighting. Enter Alexandros Michas, who was recently appointed as the Head of Website Operations at Media 24. In this interview, we talked with Alexandros about how he is replacing chaotic, site-by-site fixes with a single blueprint to turn standard affiliate sites into true digital platforms.
A few months ago, you were appointed as the Head of Website Operations at Media 24. To give our readers a look behind the scenes, what exactly does this role involve, and what are the main things you focus on in this position?
My job is to take the big-picture goals discussed with our CEO and figure out how we actually build them. I translate high-level business strategy into a concrete technical roadmap and take responsibility for it and everything that goes into our websites.
Day-to-day, I am leading our talented and experienced team of site managers. Together, we look at our portfolio of websites not just as platforms, but as products. We are constantly tweaking site functionality, brainstorming new product features, and upgrading the user experience. The ultimate goal is to move past standard affiliate landing pages and build something stickier. We want our websites to be the definitive, go-to destination where sports bettors in any given region don’t just visit once to find a bookmaker, but actively want to return to for value.
With dozens of websites in the portfolio, how do you prevent operational chaos? What does a scalable architecture look like for a modern affiliate house?
Honestly, if you treat every site like its own special project, you’ll drown in chaos overnight. The secret is standardisation.
Of course, every region has its own local specifics that we have to adapt to, and we do so by having locals as website managers. But underneath it all, we build everything on a single, shared blueprint. When we design a new feature, we don’t just build it for one site. We build it to level up the whole portfolio at once. It also makes expanding into a new market much easier. If a promising new region opens up tomorrow, we don’t have to start from scratch. We just drop in a product that’s already battle-tested and ready to go.
I’ve also set up teams around each GEO and manager, which include SEO specialists, content managers, and others, to ensure a smooth and efficient workflow.
Since you rely on a single blueprint, how do you manage the human element? How much freedom do your site managers have to experiment in their local markets versus sticking to the playbook?
Our site managers are the true experts in their specific regions, so they have total autonomy over their local content plans and figuring out what makes bettors in their area tick. They own that local strategy completely, while the blueprint just ensures they are building on a rock-solid foundation.
Because they are on the ground, I actually encourage them to constantly pitch product improvements. I always listen to their suggestions because a great idea shouldn’t just stay on one site. If a manager finds a feature that works incredibly well for their audience, we don’t just keep it there. We roll it into our core blueprint so the entire portfolio benefits from it.
The company has shifted toward building true digital platforms rather than just simple affiliate sites that rank. In practice, what is the biggest difference between those two approaches?
The biggest difference is value and retention. A simple affiliate site is transactional. It’s built entirely around SEO keywords just to capture a click, send the user to a sportsbook, and hope for a conversion. If Google tweaks its algorithm, that site is incredibly vulnerable because users have no real loyalty to it.
A digital platform, on the other hand, is an actual product. We aren’t just trying to get a click. We are trying to be a helpful place for the sports bettor. That means building features, community, and data hubs. It takes a lot more time and energy to maintain, but it turns a casual visitor into a loyal user. They don’t just find us on Google once. They bookmark the site and keep coming back because the product itself is valuable.
The World Cup is live right now. An event of this scale is a massive test for any affiliate. How did you approach the preparation for this global tournament from a product perspective, and what features did you ship to keep bettors engaged?
We knew the traffic spikes would be insane, so preparation actually started months ago. From a product perspective, the ultimate goal was instant utility. During a massive event like this, users want their information immediately, without any friction.
Feature-wise, we shipped an advanced match centre, a tournament bracket simulator, and worked heavily on upgrading our entire content strategy specifically for the World Cup. Because of the shared framework we talked about earlier, we didn’t have to build these tools site-by-site. Our blueprint allowed us to deploy these advanced features across all of our sports betting properties simultaneously, giving every region a premium product at the same time.
When the final whistle blows on the World Cup and we look back at the rest of 2026, what will have to happen for you to look back and say we absolutely nailed it?
On the data side, I want to look at our metrics and see a clear spike in returning users. That will be the ultimate proof that our platform strategy is actually working.
But our upgrades and feature improvements don’t just stop with the World Cup. We already have plenty of things in the pipeline, and we are planning a massive push right before the main European leagues kick off late this summer.
At the end of the day, I’ll know we nailed it if our site managers are effortlessly launching these new features, seeing the direct results of their work, and feeling like they have the absolute best tools in the industry to win their markets. That would be proof that we didn’t just build websites. We built a highly scalable affiliate product.
The post Alexandros Michas on Building Platforms, Not Pages appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
In the world of affiliate marketing, a little chaos is usually the norm. Managing dozens of websites across different regions often means endless firefighting. Enter Alexandros Michas, who was recently appointed as the Head of Website Operations at Media 24. In this interview, we talked with Alexandros about how he is replacing chaotic, site-by-site fixes with a single blueprint to turn standard affiliate sites into true digital platforms.
A few months ago, you were appointed as the Head of Website Operations at Media 24. To give our readers a look behind the scenes, what exactly does this role involve, and what are the main things you focus on in this position?
My job is to take the big-picture goals discussed with our CEO and figure out how we actually build them. I translate high-level business strategy into a concrete technical roadmap and take responsibility for it and everything that goes into our websites.
Day-to-day, I am leading our talented and experienced team of site managers. Together, we look at our portfolio of websites not just as platforms, but as products. We are constantly tweaking site functionality, brainstorming new product features, and upgrading the user experience. The ultimate goal is to move past standard affiliate landing pages and build something stickier. We want our websites to be the definitive, go-to destination where sports bettors in any given region don’t just visit once to find a bookmaker, but actively want to return to for value.
With dozens of websites in the portfolio, how do you prevent operational chaos? What does a scalable architecture look like for a modern affiliate house?
Honestly, if you treat every site like its own special project, you’ll drown in chaos overnight. The secret is standardisation.
Of course, every region has its own local specifics that we have to adapt to, and we do so by having locals as website managers. But underneath it all, we build everything on a single, shared blueprint. When we design a new feature, we don’t just build it for one site. We build it to level up the whole portfolio at once. It also makes expanding into a new market much easier. If a promising new region opens up tomorrow, we don’t have to start from scratch. We just drop in a product that’s already battle-tested and ready to go.
I’ve also set up teams around each GEO and manager, which include SEO specialists, content managers, and others, to ensure a smooth and efficient workflow.
Since you rely on a single blueprint, how do you manage the human element? How much freedom do your site managers have to experiment in their local markets versus sticking to the playbook?
Our site managers are the true experts in their specific regions, so they have total autonomy over their local content plans and figuring out what makes bettors in their area tick. They own that local strategy completely, while the blueprint just ensures they are building on a rock-solid foundation.
Because they are on the ground, I actually encourage them to constantly pitch product improvements. I always listen to their suggestions because a great idea shouldn’t just stay on one site. If a manager finds a feature that works incredibly well for their audience, we don’t just keep it there. We roll it into our core blueprint so the entire portfolio benefits from it.
The company has shifted toward building true digital platforms rather than just simple affiliate sites that rank. In practice, what is the biggest difference between those two approaches?
The biggest difference is value and retention. A simple affiliate site is transactional. It’s built entirely around SEO keywords just to capture a click, send the user to a sportsbook, and hope for a conversion. If Google tweaks its algorithm, that site is incredibly vulnerable because users have no real loyalty to it.
A digital platform, on the other hand, is an actual product. We aren’t just trying to get a click. We are trying to be a helpful place for the sports bettor. That means building features, community, and data hubs. It takes a lot more time and energy to maintain, but it turns a casual visitor into a loyal user. They don’t just find us on Google once. They bookmark the site and keep coming back because the product itself is valuable.
The World Cup is live right now. An event of this scale is a massive test for any affiliate. How did you approach the preparation for this global tournament from a product perspective, and what features did you ship to keep bettors engaged?
We knew the traffic spikes would be insane, so preparation actually started months ago. From a product perspective, the ultimate goal was instant utility. During a massive event like this, users want their information immediately, without any friction.
Feature-wise, we shipped an advanced match centre, a tournament bracket simulator, and worked heavily on upgrading our entire content strategy specifically for the World Cup. Because of the shared framework we talked about earlier, we didn’t have to build these tools site-by-site. Our blueprint allowed us to deploy these advanced features across all of our sports betting properties simultaneously, giving every region a premium product at the same time.
When the final whistle blows on the World Cup and we look back at the rest of 2026, what will have to happen for you to look back and say we absolutely nailed it?
On the data side, I want to look at our metrics and see a clear spike in returning users. That will be the ultimate proof that our platform strategy is actually working.
But our upgrades and feature improvements don’t just stop with the World Cup. We already have plenty of things in the pipeline, and we are planning a massive push right before the main European leagues kick off late this summer.
At the end of the day, I’ll know we nailed it if our site managers are effortlessly launching these new features, seeing the direct results of their work, and feeling like they have the absolute best tools in the industry to win their markets. That would be proof that we didn’t just build websites. We built a highly scalable affiliate product.
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