Global Gaming to challenge Spelinspektionen Swedish Ninja suspension

Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulatory body has sent a clear message to licensed incumbents on maintaining responsibility and player protection standards, as it suspends Global Gaming AB’s Ninja Casino property.

Issuing a market update, Spelinspektionen suspends SafeEnt a Global Gaming subsidiary which operates the flagship Ninja Casino brand with immediate effect.

Concluding an investigation, the Swedish regulator has charged SafeEnt with failure to maintain appropriate player protections and multiple AML procedure failings.

In its report,  Spelinspektionen details that Ninja Casino has violated a ‘number of its most critical laws’, following the introduction of a new re-regulated Swedish gambling framework on 1 January 2019.

Operator failures include allowing customers to wager beyond their desired deposit limits, as well as not carrying out strict ‘duty-of-care’ procedures with registered customers.

With regards to AML, Spelinspektionen’s investigation has revealed that SafeEnt operated with ‘serious systematic failures’ with regards to player management, risk assessment and customer profiling.

Furthermore, Ninja Casino is reported to have offered its customers player bonus incentives, beyond a first deposit, with the regulator stating that SafeEnt did not apply its basic licensing demands and conditions.

This afternoon, Global Gaming governance released a statement detailing that they would challenge  Spelinspektionen’s penalty. The Stockholm-listed enterprise has moved its Ninja Casino property offline, stating that it will open dialogue with Spelinspektionen officials.

“The morning’s message from the Gaming Inspectorate came unexpectedly because the company is of the opinion it has complied with the requirements set by the new legislation on gaming companies in Sweden. That they now come with this decision is strange to me” details Tobias Fagerlund, Acting CEO of Global Gaming AB.

“It is the opinion of the Company and the company’s legal advisors that all requirements for holding a license are now fully complied with. The company’s lawyers are of the firm opinion that Spelinspektionen’s decision lacks support in the game law and therefore the decision will now be appealed.”

“Of course we will appeal the decision and we have good reasons to believe that we will succeed in an appeal. That the license is now revoked lacks legal support and constitutes a disproportionate intervention that causes the company great damage” Tobias Fagerlund concludes