The government of Sweden has appointed Peter Knutsson as Director General of the country’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, as he is expected to take up the position on...
Swedish Spelinspektionen bans Novatech
Just days after the KSA imposed a €24.8 million record fine on Novatech, the Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen also issued a banning order against the illegal operator on March 11, 2026.
After reviewing the qbet.com, mangacasino.com, slotexpress.com, 55bet.com, and 30bet.com sites between February 23 and 25, 2026, the regulator found that Novatech’s domains were targeting players in Sweden without having the required local license.
The investigation showed that when Swedish IP address holders entered the sites, they were automatically presented with Sweden’s country code for registration, and the operator’s brands were promoted on Swedish-language websites by content creators on streaming platforms.
Inspectors tried to start a covert test purchase on qbet.com, and as a result, they revealed that Swedish players had access to register and open accounts without any restrictions, and additionally, no age verification or geo-blocking measures were implemented by Novatech, which are required under Swedish law.
According to the Swedish Gambling Act, all operators have to hold a Swedish license in order to legally offer their services to the domestic market, as the Spelinspektionen also noted that player protection concerns were the main reason behind its ruling.
The regulator stressed that any violations in the future would lead to more sanctions and potentially higher fines.
Sweden’s parliament, the Riksdag, has approved the proposal to ban gambling with credit, with the amendment to the Gambling Act 2018 to come into effect on May 1, 2026.
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