The Swedish regulatory authority Spelinspektionen has banned the company ASG 360 Services, behind the brand GG.bet, from operating in the country due to its provision of unlicensed online gambling activities.
An investigation by Spelinspektionen found that GG.bet illegally targeted Swedish players. The Cyprus-based ASG 360 does not have a Swedish gambling license.
The regulatory body stated that the operator holds a gambling license from Curacao, which is authorized by ASG 360's parent company River Entertainment BV.
Spelinspektionen elaborated its viewpoint, stating that Swedish players were able to register, deposit, and play games without any geographical blocking mechanisms.
It is alleged that GG.bet offered Swedish currency as a betting option and used a Swedish language branch to help promote the site. This is prohibited by gambling regulations, but there is a loophole that unlicensed operators are not penalized for targeting English-speaking players and using foreign currencies like the Euro.
Furthermore, Spelinspektionen stated that ASG 360 also manages several other mirror sites using variations of the GG.bet brand. However, it is currently unclear how many mirror sites were active in Sweden during the investigation period.
The regulatory body stated that all this is considered illegal gambling. The regulatory body contacted ASG 360, but the operator has not yet responded to the matter.
ASG 360 will face an immediate ban in Sweden
In its ruling, Spelinspektionen outlined how it determines whether an unlicensed operator targets Swedish players. This requires it to check a range of factors.
If Swedish consumers are unable to register an account on the website, it cannot be considered as targeting players in the country. Therefore, the Swedish Gambling Act does not apply.
However, the regulator's investigation found that users could freely register on GG.bet and access its games.
Other factors include offering the Swedish krona currency option and using Swedish language to market the site.
Therefore, Spelinspektionen immediately banned ASG 360 and its GG.bet website.
"We believe it is very important to enforce this decision immediately to protect consumer rights and ensure gambling safety," Spelinspektionen stated. "Therefore, the decision should take effect immediately."
GG.bet is one of the most popular illegal sites in Sweden
The ruling was based on data provided by ATG for the fourth quarter of 2024, which showed that GG.bet was one of the most popular illegal sites during that period.
ATG ranked GG.bet as the fifth most popular unlicensed operator site in the country for the fourth quarter. The site attracted 76,124 visitors in three months, with traffic increasing in both the third and fourth quarters.
Luckyjungle.com entered Sweden in the third quarter of 2023 and had the highest traffic in the fourth quarter, with 147,284 visits.
Out of the 20 largest unlicensed gambling sites, 17 used platform providers also used by licensed operators. Additionally, there were two on Spelinspektionen's list of banned unlicensed operators, and with GG.bet joining, this number has now increased to three.
