L&L Europe Limited Penalized for Self-Exclusion Failures in Sweden

L&L Europe Ltd, the operator of some of the most exceptional casinos such as Yeti Casino, All British Casino and Yako Casino, is under fire from the Swedish gambling watchdog for breaching responsible gaming regulations. The operator was found to have sent promotional material to Swedish players and allowed them to play even after the said players already self-excluded themselves after the local online gambling market was reorganized back in January.

As a result, Spelinspektionen the Swedish gambling authority charged L&L Europe Ltd with a SEK600,000 (about $60,000) fine and issued a stern warning. This is barely two years since the Malta-based operator ventured into the Swedish market after receiving approval from Spelinspektionen towards the end of 2018.

Besides holding a license from Spelinspektionen, L&L Europe Limited also holds operating licenses from MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) and the UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission), meaning that its affiliated casinos are accessible across some of the largest European gambling markets.

L&L Europe Limited’s Responsible Gaming Failures

All gambling operators licensed in Sweden are required by law to have integrated with Spelpaus.se, which is the state-approved online program for self-exclusion. This program, therefore, ensures that gaming services are carried out under socially responsible standards that offer players a chance to temporarily or permanently exclude themselves from gambling in case they suspect that gambling is becoming a problem for them.

Investigations into L&L Europe Limited commenced after several players who had opted in for self-exclusion through the country’s program reported to Spelinspektione. The players who raised the alarm indicated that they were still allowed to gamble in the operator’s sites and that they received material that promoted them to gamble.

In response, L&L said that there was a delay in processing the requests for players who were seeking to register for self-exclusion after the operator switched their bank ID verification supplier. L&L further clarified that the delay had affected players who had signed up for a membership on its sites before 1st January 2020. The issue affected customers who had self-excluded themselves between 20th April 2019 and 6th May 2019.

However, after the matter was uncovered L&L Europe Limited reimbursed all the deposits that the self-excluded players had spent on gambling.

Spelinspektione’s Verdict After Investigations

L&L’s offence was severe on two counts; the fact that the operator failed to complete the mandatory Spelpaus.se checks on players before allowing them to gamble, and secondly the fact that players were able to play gambling games even though they were already registered in the Spelpaus.se database.

Based on the hefty fines amounting to millions of pounds that other European online gambling operators have been receiving of late, L&L’s penalties seem to be a slap on the wrist.

Spelinspektione, however, justified that since the L&L Europe Limited had moved to right their wrongs before further follow-ups, a warning and a SEK600,000 served as enough punishment for such offences. This penalty was stipulated at a 0.1% rate of the turnover of L&L Europe Limited.

L&L Europe Ltd is Treading on Ice in the Swedish Market

From their history in the Swedish online gambling market, this isn’t the first time L&L is rubbing shoulders with Swedish authorities over irresponsible gaming regulations.

Last year, the operator was starkly rebuked by the Swedish Consumer Agency after Karl Casino one of its gaming platforms deliberately tried to lure back self-excluded players into gambling through promotional content. The casino received an injunction at that time and was warned that they could face up to SEK2 million in penalties should they be found guilty of such offences in future.