Danish regulator shuts down 25 illegal gaming sites in 2019

Denmark’s gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has revealed that access to 25 sites were blocked as part of its efforts to stamp out illegal activity in the country in 2019.

Working in partnership with the Danish Tax Authority, the regulator conducted a search of 502 websites.

Ten were found to be operating illegally, prompting Spillemyndigheden to file court petitions to have internet service providers block access to the sites. These cases are all expected to conclude later this year.

After expanding the scope of its search for potentially illegal content to include skin betting in 2018, 110 sites were reviewed in 2019, with closer investigations carried out for six. Petitions to have ISPs block access to 15 sites were filed in total.

Last year Spillemyndigheden began an education campaign, targeting minors and their parents, to both inform participants on what skin betting was, and why it was illegal. This, the regulator said, had been positively received.

For land-based gambling, it noted that under the Gaming Act it does not have any jurisdiction over illegal land-based gambling, though assists the Danish police when and where required. This saw it provide input on 19 cases in which gaming venues offered poker or slot machines without certification.

These efforts appear to be having a positive impact on efforts to channel players towards legal gambling offerings. According to research by H2 Gambling Capital, Spillemyndigheden said an estimated 91.54% of gambling spend occurred through legal channels.

This marked a significant increase from 72.44% in 2012, the year Denmark’s igaming market opened for business, and is expected to rise to 93.01% in 2020.

Looking ahead, the regulator pledged to continue its searches in partnership with the Tax Authority, and aims to significantly increase the number of sites assessed, to determine whether that will lead to more illegal activity being identified.