Legislation News of the Week: UKGC Seriously Fined 10Bet, MGA Revoked BetDino’s License

The Swedish regulator lost the court case. MGA has revoked BetDino's license. In the meantime, 10Bet will be forced to pay a massive fine according to UKGC. A Gibraltar court has frozen the funds of the Mansion Group's former CEO. And Spain investigates a match-fixing incident that allegedly took place in 2021.

In Sweden, the regulator loses licensing lawsuit

Spelinspektionen, which is Sweden's gambling regulator, has announced that it is changing its position regarding negative equity in license reviews. This decision was made in light of its legal defeat in the case against the Avento gaming group.

The case centered around Spelinspektionen's decision to not renew Avento's three-year license which ended in December 2022. The regulator cited concerns over the operator’s negative equity position, which it said was a clear indication of financial instability.

Even though the gambling watchdog lost the case in the Linköping administrative court, it still believes that negative equity is a determining factor as to whether operators qualify for licensing.

BetDino is no longer an MGA licensee

Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has declared that it has revoked the license of a popular online betting operator BetDino, citing unpaid fees. According to the statement, BetDino failed to pay the necessary licensing fees and fulfill other financial obligations.

The MGA reportedly made several attempts to collect the outstanding payments but BetDino failed to respond or take any action. As a result, the MGA has revoked BetDino's license. Although this decision took effect on January 18, the regulator announced it on its official website almost a month later, on February 15.

The MGA's decision is a significant blow to BetDino, which has been a popular destination for sports bettors and online casino enthusiasts since its launch. The operator had built up a loyal customer base thanks to its extensive range of betting options, competitive odds, and reliable platform. But now it will surely lose a substantial share of its gamblers.

UKGC imposes a large fine on 10Bet

Great Britain's Gambling Commission has fined 10Bet, an online gambling operator, €698 271 for failing to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility regulations.

The investigation conducted by the Commission found that 10Bet did not have effective AML policies and procedures in place, which resulted in the operator not being able to adequately identify and prevent money laundering. The Commission also found that the operator did not carry out adequate social responsibility checks on customers, including those identified as high-risk.

Furthermore, the Commission found that 10Bet failed to take effective action against customers who displayed signs of problem gambling. The operator did not take appropriate steps to monitor and intervene when customers displayed potentially harmful behavior, including high levels of gambling spend.

Mansion Group's former CEO loses case in Gibraltar court

The Gibraltar court has ruled that Karel Christian Mañasco will lose £5 million of its assets in the case against the Mansion Group. The former CEO of this gambling company started a legal battle against it last year. The operator accused Mañasco of abusing its powers and recklessly using the company's financial assets and filed a lawsuit.

Mañasco joined Mansion Group back in 2010, and it only took him two years to become CFO here. Five years later, he received the position of CEO and continued his successful career in the company. However, this path ended in September 2021 when he was suspended from work due to alleged violations.

In December of the same year, Mañasco resigned and left the Mansion Group. But in 2022, he was involved in a lawsuit that turned out to be a serious financial punishment for him.

Spanish police focus on alleged Copa del Rey match-fixing

Spain's National Police Center for Sports Integrity and Gambling (Cenpida) started investigating one of the matches played in the Copa del Rey tournament in 2021. Back then, Levante UD and CD Huracán Melilla finished the first game 8-0 in favor of Levante, which competes in the most prestigious Spanish football division.

When La Liga received information about a potential match-fixing in which the mentioned teams were involved, it turned to Cenpida. The authorities did not elaborate on any details regarding the allegations. However, they are known to have initiated an investigation based on information provided by six anonymous individuals.

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