2021 witnessed the highest number of blocked websites in the history of the Danish Gambling Authority.
Publishing a report entitled – Report on illegal gambling 2021 – the DGA revealed that it completed six searches for potentially illegal websites in cooperation with the Danish Tax Agency‘s anti-fraud unit.
Moreover, 55 websites with illegal gambling activities were blocked, the highest reported number from the regulator.
The report cited: “The case on blockings from 2021 eventually came to be of fundamental importance, because the internet service providers for the first time claimed that the Danish Gambling Authority only can require to have the website blocked if the Danish Gambling Authority can prove that Danish players have played on the website in question.
“Nevertheless, the court ruled in favour of the Danish Gambling Authority and approved the current practice where the Danish Gambling Authority document via screen dumps from the websites that offer gambling products aimed at the Danish market without a licence.
“The case was appealed, and the Danish Gambling Authority therefore brought the case on blocking of websites before the high court. The high court also ruled in favour of the Danish Gambling Authority. A new case on blockings of websites is expected at the beginning of 2022.”
Alongside the sites being blocked in 2021, the Danish Gambling Authority also reviewed all prohibited websites to examine where the sites continued to offer gambling products aimed at the Danish market without a licence.
The outcome showed that many of the websites no longer offered gambling activities at all, or no longer aimed their gambling offers at the Danish market. Consequently, the Danish Gambling Authority requested the court to lift the blockings of the websites that no longer breached the Gambling Act.
Alternatively, the report also delved into Denmark’s illegal gambling in the land-based sector in 2021, revealing that the Danish Gambling Authority was involved in cases concerning 35 gambling premises at which poker or gaming machines were installed without a licence.
The DGA noted that if it became aware of potentially illegal installation and operations of poker and gaming machines, as well as betting terminals, the entity will report to the police.
In 2021, the Danish Gambling Authority continued a project on compliance checks of bingo halls, which was initiated in 2019.
In total, the DGA completed 106 compliance checks of associations that have run bingo games. Moreover, it sent 27 reports to the police about running of illegal charity lotteries all over Denmark.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, it was not possible for the Danish Gambling Authority to complete on-site checks in 2021, with checks completed by consultations of the parties without a preceding on-site check.