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Swedish Consumer Rights Watchdog Say “NO!” To Wagering Requirements
By Shane Addinall Oct 11, 2019 IndustryKaramba finds themselves in hot water over a series of infractions within Sweden including facing legal action from the Consumer Ombudsman who claims their wagering requirements exacerbates problem gambling.Wagering Requirements are one of those institutions of online gambling that have simply been considered a “necessary evil”. For the most part, as long as an operator has kept the requirements reasonable most players haven’t given them too much consideration.
The Swedish Consumer Ombudsman, Konsumentombudsmannen (KO), however, has taken affront at the implementation of wagering requirements and has chosen to wage war on wagering by taking legal action against Karamba.
✓The Basis For The Action
Karamba has already been in hot water with gambling regulators in Sweden over their lax management of players who had registered with the country’s National Self-Suspension Register (SpelPaus) and the fact that they do not display over 18 warnings prominently on their site.
Pär Magnusson, Process Council at KO, explained the action by saying:
“We believe that the company violates the gaming teams requirements, both in terms of moderation and how they can use the bonus in advertising. The company entices consumers to play with the help of lures that you will, in reality, never get to know without playing for huge amounts. These risks affecting anyone who has difficulty controlling their gambling”
At the core of this action is their belief that Karamba’s 35x wagering requirement paired with only 21 days to complete it is unfair if not downright unattainable. They also mention that the terms are not clearly advertised, rather they are hidden away in pages of legalese and unrelated terms.
✓Is This A Good Thing?
While representatives of KO make the case that Karamba’s wagering requirements are unfair it is worth noting that the 35x requirement is only on the bonus amount, not the deposit value.
The intention is to stop players depositing, claiming a bonus and then simply withdrawing both the deposit and bonus. This used to happen in the early days of online gambling, and the heavy losses many casinos suffered is what led to wagering requirements being implemented in the first place.
There are casinos who offer much lower wagering requirements in the 5x-15x range however these casinos tend to offer much smaller bonuses or set withdrawal caps which can severely limit a players chances of taking home a big win.
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