Sweden spank Lottoland; minister praises Italy’s gambling ad ban

Sweden’s gambling regulator has doled out yet another financial penalty package, this time to online lottery betting outfit Lottoland.

On Wednesday, the Spelinspektionen regulatory body announced the imposition of a SEK700k (US$74k) fine against United Lottery Solutions Ltd, operator of the Lottoland.se gambling site, for offering products not covered by its Swedish gambling license.

Lottoland doesn’t operate lotteries, instead offering players the chance to bet on the outcome of traditional lottery draws offered by (usually) state-run lottery companies. Sweden allows Lottoland.se to offer wagering on international lottery draws but the site was also offering betting on the Eurojackpot lottery, which in Sweden is strictly the turf of state-owned operator Svenska Spel.

In addition, Spelinspektionen determined that Lottoland was offering online scratch cards in violation of its local license. Spelinspektionen also claimed that Lottoland hadn’t been “sufficiently clear” in ensuring its customers understood that they weren’t participating in an actual lottery drawing.