Danish Gambling Authority Defines Bonuses and Promotions

Since Denmark opened its digital borders to legal online casino gambling in 2012 the Danish gambling authority has been very cognisant of its responsibilities to the players under its protection and the business needs of its licensees.

The regulatory body started 2021 off with a bang by taking decisive legal actions against nearly a hundred websites found to be targeting Danish players while not holding a license from Spillemyndigheden.

Having dealt a serious blow to its external threats the organisation turned its attention inwards, commissioning reports on the state of the Danish market, how and when Danish players gamble and earlier this month posting its definitive “guide on sales and promotions”.

Facts Clear New Definitions

More than one gambling authority has come up against operators walking close to the line in terms of new or unfavourable regulations based on a technicality. This has happened around the world when it comes to defining giveaways, incentives, promotions, and other player rewards.

To nip this in the bud from the outset the Danish Gambling Authority opened their new guidelines by defining the target of the document as:

Bonus offers
Free promotional gifts
Free bet/ Free spin
Competitions & Draws
Today’s/ this week’s/ this month’s offer, for example “World Cup offer”
Price reduction e.g. 50% off spins
Favourable odds to selected players

To which they also appended the caveat that this list is not exhaustive and that they retain the right to edit it as they please. However, they expect all licensees to abide by the spirit of the guide as they have clarified “sales promotions” to mean anything free or paid that is offered as a reward or incentive to Danish players.

Alert By Any Other Name

Their primary differentiator for whether something is a “promotion” is if it is temporary in nature and/or offered to a specific group of players. In this case, a progressive jackpot is not a sales promotion as it is both a permanent part of the casino operation and open to all players.

However, boosted odds offered to reactivate dormant players would be as by its nature it targets a select group and incentivises them to act in a small window of time to avoid losing out on the opportunity. Experiences and offers that do not meet this definition of a sales promotion are exempt from the new guidelines.

Updated Promotion Guide

The Gambling Authority’s new guidelines for bonuses and promotions are as follows:

The value of the promotional offer may not exceed DKK 1,000.
If a deposit is required, it must be equal to 100% of the bonus amount.
Wagering may no exceed 10 times the value of the bonus amount.
It is illegal to attach wagering requirements to a deposit amount.
Players must have a minimum of 60 days to meet the wagering requirement.
The term “free” can only be used if the bonus is not connected to the deposit, and the player can still win real money without depositing down the line.
Tickets must also not be worth more than DKK 1,000, calculated as the prize value divided by the number of available tickets.

Blackjack Playing Open Cards

The guideline on sales promotions also outlines the Gambling Authority’s position on the practice of obfuscating “significant” terms and conditions:

That a sales promotion only applies to a limited group
That there is a playthrough requirement
That a minimum stake must be gambled to meet the playthrough
That there is a deposit requirement
That not all games contribute to the playthrough requirement
That there is a time limit to fulfil the conditions attached to the sales promotion
That a maximum of X can be won for funds from the sales promotion
That there is a maximum stake in the game & that winnings can be confiscated when the limit is exceeded

It is of particular importance to the Danish players that the Authority has mandated that all bonuses and promotions now carry a sixty-day wagering window rather than the general thirty days, plus that no wagering can be applied to deposits.