Swedish newspapers to challenge egaming marketing injunctions
Aftonbladet and Expressen were found in breach of Swedish Lottery Act after running egaming links online and face daily fine of SEK45,000
Two of Sweden’s biggest national newspapers are set to challenge injunctions issued by the Swedish Gambling Authority (Lotteriinspektionen) for linking to foreign gambling companies on their websites.
An order issued by the regulator last month found the Aftonbladet and Expressen newspapers in breach of the Swedish Lottery Act and were required to pay a fine of SEK45,000 (£4,340) per day until the links were removed.
However, speaking with eGaming Review this morning, a spokesperson for Lotteriinspektionen said both newspapers were yet to remove the links and were challenging the decision, hinting at the possibility of the case being brought before the European Court.
The regulator claims the newspapers are in breach of Article 38 of the Swedish Lottery Act which states it is illegal to promote gambling activity organised abroad by foreign gambling companies without a Swedish licence.
“The current decision focuses on the technical functionality in the form of clickable links that promotes participation in a cross-border gambling activity without permission,” the regulator said in a statement.
The regulator has previously found itself at odds with the Swedish press with regards to gambling advertising after the director general of Lotteriinspektionen, HÃ¥kan Hallstedt, attacked the CEO of media organisation Tidningsutgivarna, for “factual errors” with regards to claims made about gambling advertising law.