Interactive
Denmark – Danish Gambling Authority blocks a record 83 illegal websites
By Phil - 27 February 2024
The Danish Gambling Authority has been successful in the court in Næstved to have 83 websites that offer illegal gambling in Denmark blocked.
It is the 10th time that the Danish Gambling Authority has gone to court to have illegal websites blocked, and the DGA has now intensified its efforts to block illegal sites.
Since 2012, when the gambling market in Denmark was partially liberalized, the Danish Gambling Authority has blocked illegal websites that offer games such as betting and online casinos to Danes without permission. Blocking of the websites takes place through the court, and on 15 February 2024 the court in Næstved agreed with the Danish Gambling Authority that all 83 websites that the report referred to must be blocked.
In total, the Danish Gambling Authority has blocked 359 illegal sites since 2012. With the 83 websites, the record for blocking websites in one year has already been broken. The highest number so far was from 2022, when 82 websites were blocked.
The Danish Gambling Authority’s Director Anders Dorph said: “We have intensified our work to shut down the illegal sites, so that we now get them blocked twice a year instead of once as previously”, says Anders Dorph. “In this way, we can get hold of even more sites and minimize the period when Danish players are exposed to games that are offered illegally in Denmark”, he says and continues:
“Children and young people in particular are a vulnerable group. For instance, many of the illegal websites have very lenient requirements for age verification. Some of the sites also offer games that particularly appeal to children and young people, such as skin betting.”
Sites without permission do not comply with the requirements set out in gambling legislation for, among other things, consumer protection.
The Danish Gambling Authority constantly monitors the gambling market to detect illegal gambling. Automated searches are used, but the Danish Gambling Authority also follows up on reports from citizens and businesses. If the Danish Gambling Authority discovers pages that offer illegal gambling, the Danish Gambling Authority informs the owners of the pages of the infringement and asks them to stop the illegal offering.
If they do not stop, the Danish Gambling Authority requests the district court to have the illegal sites blocked. The procedure is this way because it is the Danish internet providers who must implement the blocking of the illegal gambling websites.
The blocked websites mainly offer traditional casino games such as roulette, slot machines and poker as well as betting. Eight of the websites are so-called skinbetting websites. Skinbetting covers betting, casino games and lotteries where the deposit and/or winnings are a skin, which is a virtual object in computer games.
It is illegal to offer games in Denmark or target the Danish market without a license from the Danish Gambling Authority. A game is considered to be aimed at Denmark if it uses Danish language, Danish currency or payment card that only works in Denmark. Also if the game selection has a composition that means it is aimed at Danish players. (E.g. by offering bets on sports events in lower ranks). It is also against the Gambling Act to convey to or advertise for gambling operators without permission.
All gambling operators with a Danish license must have the Danish Gambling Authority’s label placed visibly on their website and all marketing material. In this way, the player can easily check that the operator is authorized to offer games in Denmark.
