Landmark Ruling: Betsson Ordered to Repay €500,000+ Gambling Addict's Losses

The Swedish Supreme Court has ordered the Betsson Group’s subsidiary, BML Group Ltd, to pay €500,000+ to a Swedish gambling addict. Most surprising is the fact that the gambling patterns leading to this ruling happened before Sweden fully regulated its gambling market. Nonetheless, it’s a clear sign that gambling companies will continuously be held accountable for exploiting vulnerable customers.

What Happened? Little Background Info

Between 2009 and 2014, a Swedish man gambled through Betsson’s website. During this 5-year period, he wagered around €15 million but ended up with total losses of SEK 5.8 million.

In 2012, Betsson upgraded the player to VIP status, even though he was already showing clear signs of gambling addiction. So, they gave him more bonuses, special offers, and personal attention from the company’s staff.  The player continued gambling heavily until he finally banned himself from the site in October 2014.

After being diagnosed with gambling addiction, this player began a legal battle that lasted nearly a decade. He fought to get his money back, arguing that Betsson should have known he had a problem and stopped him from gambling.

Court’s Ruling – What They Considered

Swedish Supreme Court orders Betsson to repay €500,000 to player for player protection failings. Raises questions about other retrospective cases. Spelinspektionen to appeal against quashed fine on Svenska Spel. #SwedishSupremeCourt #Betsson #PlayerProtection #Spelinspektionen… pic.twitter.com/b9hUYIhQQZ

— Focus Gaming News (@FocusGamingNews) July 3, 2025

The Swedish Supreme Court looked carefully at how Betsson collected information about this player’s gambling habits. The judges found that the company’s automated systems and data collection showed the company knew of his addiction.

The court also discovered that Betsson had access to detailed information about the player’s gambling behaviour. The company used this data to send him intrusive marketing messages and large-scale bonus offers, even when it was clear he had a gambling problem.

The judges used the Swedish Contracts Act, which says agreements that go against ‘good faith’ can be cancelled. They ruled that the gambling contracts made during Per’s VIP period were invalid because Betsson knew about his addiction but continued to encourage him to gamble.

The court ordered Betsson to pay back the full €500,000+ (total money lost by the player). However, they rejected the player’s request for €900 in compensation for emotional distress.

Why Did Betsson Lose?

There were several key reasons why Betsson lost this case:

• Aggressive Marketing: Betsson continued to target the player with bonuses and promotions despite clear signs of gambling addiction. They sent him personalised offers and had staff members act as his personal contacts to encourage more gambling.
• VIP Status: The company upgraded the player to VIP status in 2012, which actually increased the marketing pressure and incentives. This happened when his gambling was already becoming a serious problem.
• Failure to Intervene: Betsson had access to detailed data showing the player’s gambling patterns and behaviour. The court found they had enough information to know he was addicted, but chose not to help him.
• Legal Principle: The court decided that enforcing the gambling contracts would be against good faith, since Betsson knew about the addiction but continued to profit from it.

Betsson’s Response

From what the CEO said, it was clear that Betsson were disappointed by the ruling. Pontus Lindwall (CEO at the time) said:

“We are of course disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision in this individual case. At the same time, we note that these are very specific circumstances and that the judgment is not expected to have any broader financial consequences for our operations.”

The company defended itself by pointing out that the case involved gambling that happened before the 2019 Swedish Gambling Act came into force. In their interpretation, this was before clearer regulations were in place. But this wasn’t enough to make the court rule in their favour.

The court’s ruling shows that even before the 2019 law, companies had enough information and technology to identify problem gamblers and should have acted to protect them.

This case could encourage other gambling addicts to seek compensation and may force the entire industry to be more careful about how they treat vulnerable customers.

Sources

• Swedish Supreme Court issues ruling in case involving a former customer | Betsson AB
• Betsson ska betala tillbaka miljoner till spelmissbrukare
• Betsson ska betala tillbaka miljoner till spelmissbrukare – Studio Ett | Sveriges Radio
• @FocusGamingNews Post on X