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The Swedish Gaming Authority, Spelinspektionen, has fined iGaming studio Hacksaw Gaming SEK 2.6m ($246,000) for issuing software to operators who don’t hold a licence.
Updated in July 2023, the Swedish Gambling Act now requires that a licence for gambling software must be held by all parties who provide, manufacture, install or modify any gaming software developed and used for online gaming. Following an initial probe into a number of operator gaming sites, Spelinspektionen discovered multiple breaches significant enough to justify a subsequent investigation.
The investigation initially uncovered a range of websites that were run by operators who did not have the right Swedish gaming licence, and are therefore barred from operating games in the region. As the investigation progressed, it was concluded that Hacksaw Studios AB was a game supplier to two brands that didn’t possess the correct Swedish gaming licence.
Upon the discovery that Hacksaw Studios supplied gaming software to the two in question, the supplier has received an official warning from the Swedish Gaming Authority, alongside an administrative fine to the tune of SEK 2.6m.
In October 2023, the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS) expressed support of a motion to also tighten credit regulations in the nation, in an attempt to enhance consumer protection. Shortly after, it was reported that the number of Swedish players using the self-exclusion register in the region had surpassed 100,000.
For Hacksaw, other recent news sees the announcement of a partnership with Betclic in Portugal, the iGaming provider’s second Portuguese launch in two months.
