LeoVegas Wins Appeal Over Swedish Fine

LeoVegas has won its legal appeal against a significant penalty issued by Sweden’s gambling regulator, after the Administrative Court in Linköping ruled in favour of the operator.

The case involved a SEK8 million (approximately $852,867) fine imposed in March 2025 by Spelinspektionen. The regulator had claimed that the Malta-based operator, known locally as Roar Vegas, had failed to comply with its duty of care obligations under the Gambling Act.

Following a review of the evidence and legal submissions from both sides, the court found that the regulator’s case was not sufficiently substantiated. Judges stated that the material presented lacked clarity and did not justify the sanction.

In its ruling dated 12 June, the Administrative Court fully overturned the decision, removing the fine and clearing LeoVegas of the alleged breaches.

Case background

The dispute originated from a supervisory review conducted by Spelinspektionen on 25 March 2025, which assessed Roar Vegas’ responsible gambling measures during the first quarter of 2024. The review focused on the operator’s handling of customers identified as high-risk, with twelve accounts selected for inspection across different age groups.

Among these, three accounts were highlighted due to unusually high monthly deposit limits ranging between SEK100,000 and SEK300,000, along with indicators of intensive gambling activity such as rapid deposits, significant losses over short periods and extended play sessions.

Spelinspektionen argued that Roar Vegas did not intervene quickly enough or sufficiently to protect these customers. As a result, it issued both a warning and the SEK8 million administrative fine.

Although the operator later implemented measures that reduced gambling activity, the regulator considered these actions insufficient.

Operator’s defence

Roar Vegas contested the findings, stating that it had a monitoring system in place combining automated alerts and manual review processes to identify risky behaviour. The operator also said it had applied deposit limits, account suspensions and staged interventions where necessary.

It further argued that certain behaviours flagged by the regulator, such as long session times or rapid losses, are common in sports betting and should not automatically be interpreted as signs of problem gambling.

The company also pointed out that before regulatory changes introduced on 1 June 2024, there was uncertainty regarding the handling of sensitive personal and financial data, which complicated compliance processes.

Court ruling

In its judgment (case no. 3061-25), the Administrative Court in Linköping sided with LeoVegas. It concluded that the regulator had not provided sufficiently clear evidence to support the penalty.

While acknowledging that some accounts showed high-risk characteristics, the court accepted that the operator had implemented monitoring tools, applied limits and suspended accounts where appropriate.

The judges noted that although some interventions may not have been immediate, the delays did not amount to a breach of duty of care. The ruling also confirmed that Swedish gambling law does not set strict timelines for intervention, requiring instead a balanced and ongoing assessment by operators.

Ultimately, the court found that LeoVegas’ documented compliance efforts and system controls undermined the regulator’s case, leading to the full cancellation of the SEK8 million fine.