Sanctions and reporting of illegal supply of gambling
Which games require licences?
The Danish Gambling Authority monitors the Danish gambling market to ensure that no games are offered in violation of the rules set out in the Gambling Act.
A licence is required to offer games in Denmark if:
- Participants must pay a stake (money or anything else of economic value)
- Participants, through the stake, can obtain a chance of winning (any type of prize of economic value), and
- The game contains an element of chance
It is offered in Denmark
A game that meets the above conditions and is offered via the internet is considered to be offered in Denmark if:
- The website is in Danish
- Danish currency can be selected
- The website offers Danish customer support
- Payment methods normally only available in Denmark can be used, such as Dankort, or
- The operator of the website targets its marketing at Denmark
If the games on the website are otherwise directed at Denmark, they may also be considered offered in Denmark. This is based on a concrete assessment, which will focus on whether the operator, through its selection of games, makes it more attractive for Danish players to play with them.
In relation to skin betting in particular, the court ruled on 6 February 2018 that websites using Steam as a login are considered to be targeting Denmark.
Illegal advertising
Gambling operators who do not have a licence to offer games in Denmark are also not permitted to advertise their gambling services.
Media outlets — such as newspapers, radio and TV stations, and magazines — may therefore not contain advertisements for games or gambling operators without a licence.
Sponsorships are covered by the prohibition on advertising. A sponsorship typically involves a financial contribution to an activity, event, or similar with the purpose of promoting the sale of the gambling operator’s products. The operator will usually expect something in return, such as positive exposure, advertising, or other benefits.
Reporting illegal gambling or illegal advertising
If you, as an operator, discover illegal gambling online or advertisements for illegal gambling, the Danish Gambling Authority would like to hear from you.
It is very helpful if your report includes the domain name/name of the media/address of the gambling venue, the date of the advertising, and — if possible — documentation of the illegal gambling or advertising.
What happens after the report?
One of the Danish Gambling Authority’s most important tasks is to protect the legal gambling market — that is, the operators who hold a licence. We are therefore always interested in hearing about cases where gambling is offered or advertised without a licence.
Your report becomes part of our general supervision of the gambling market, where we can investigate whether gambling has been offered or advertised by an operator without a licence in Denmark.
Gambling operators who offer games without a licence will receive an order from the Danish Gambling Authority to cease the illegal gambling offering. Ultimately, we may take the case to the district court to have the website blocked and/or report the operator to the police.
Media outlets that advertise for games or gambling operators without a licence will receive an order from us to stop the illegal advertising. If the media outlet does not comply, it will be reported to the police.