The regulator conducted an investigation at the premises of an undisclosed organization located in Odense in 2019. The investigation revealed that the organization had been illegally offering both bingo and banko games on a daily basis to its members for several years.
Under Danish law, the monopoly for bingo and banko games lies with state-owned Danske Spil, with no other operator permitted to provide these services except for non-profit lotteries that support charitable causes.
The case was brought before a court in Odense on 2 February, and Spillemyndigheden, the regulatory authority, emerged victorious as the court determined that the Odense-based association had violated national gambling laws by offering these games to its members. As a result, the association was ordered to pay a fine of DKK15,000 (£1,784/€2,014/$2,153) along with court costs.
This ruling comes after Spillemyndigheden recently announced that gambling revenue in the Danish market experienced a year-on-year increase of 7.9% in 2022, across all sectors. The total revenue for the year amounted to DKK6.72bn, up from DKK6.23bn in the previous 12-month period.
Online casinos remained the primary source of gambling revenue, generating DKK2.90bn in revenue, which marked a 3.2% increase compared to the previous year. Sports betting revenue also saw a rise of 3.9% to DKK2.32bn, while revenue from land-based slot machines witnessed a substantial jump of 47.6% to DKK1.15bn.
Spillemyndigheden additionally reported a significant surge of 58.6% in revenue from licensed land-based casinos, amounting to DKK3490m.
