Swedish Court Rejects Mr Green, Spooniker, and ComeOn Appeals  

This week, Sweden’s Supreme Administrative Court decided that Mr. Green, Spooniker, and various brands owned by ComeOn are not allowed to challenge regulatory decisions. Consequently, they must pay the fines imposed by the Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen. The decisions released on December 28 were not in favor of the operators. Mr. Green, Spooniker, and ComeOn were some of the brands that sought to appeal the rulings. Spooniker is facing the highest fine of SEK 225 million ($2.7 million) for providing unauthorized bonuses and lotteries without a license in March 2020. Spooniker originally faced a hefty fine of SEK 100 million, but this was decreased to SEK 50 million in 2021 and later to SEK 30 million earlier this year. The operator was hoping to achieve additional reductions through another appeal, but the most recent decision forbids this. Mr. Green also had his penalty decreased earlier this year after appealing to the Court of Appeal. In August 1983, Spelinspektionen fined Mr Green SEK 31.5 million for shortcomings in anti-money laundering (AML) practices and duty of care obligations. In May, the Court of Appeal lowered the penalty to SEK 12 million for breaches of duty of care and SEK 1.5 million for AML problems, in accordance with the Supreme Administrative Court’s recommendations on determining fines. Similar to Spooniker, Mr. Green’s recent appeal was unsuccessful, and it now has to pay a reduced amount of SEK 13.5 million. Four other brands, including ComeOn Sweden, Snabbare, Hajper, and Casinostugan, also attempted to appeal regulatory decisions in Sweden.