Swedish Appeals Court Upholds SEK 44 Million in bet365 Player Protection Penalties.
A Swedish appeals court upheld warnings and penalties against two Hillside businesses over deposit limits and insufficient responses to risky gambling behaviour.
BETDILLA editorial illustration
What the court decided.
SEK 44 million. That is the combined penalty upheld against two Hillside companies operating under the bet365 brand. Hillside (Sports) faces SEK 40 million and Hillside (Gaming) SEK 4 million. The case concerns conduct from previous years, not a new October 2026 investigation.
Why regulators objected.
Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen found that between January 2019 and April 2022 players could choose an option without a specific numeric deposit limit. Swedish rules require customers to set numerical limits themselves. A hidden technical ceiling was not an adequate substitute.
A slow response to gambling harm.
Regulators also examined how quickly the operator intervened when behaviour suggested potential gambling problems. In some cases, the court found that automated messages were not followed promptly enough by stronger protective measures.
Why international operators should pay attention.
Responsible gambling is not simply a settings screen. Regulators increasingly look at real monitoring practices, escalation procedures and the timing of interventions. Operators working across borders need to check their actual product behaviour against each market's requirements.
What this does not mean.
The ruling maintains financial penalties and warnings. It does not, by itself, establish that bet365 has lost its Swedish licences. Current authorisation should be checked against the regulator's register.
Sources and fact-checking
G GATE MEDIA ↗iGaming Business ↗18+. For information only. This is not gambling advice. Availability of gambling products depends on local laws.
