Pub sentenced to pay fine for offering illegal lottery
08, Feb 2022
On 27 December 2021, a pub has been sentenced to pay a fine of DKK 5,000 for offering lottery and betting on results of lotteries illegally. Given that lotteries are monopolised in Denmark, it is not allowed to offer lotteries except the so-called charity lotteries, where the profit goes to a good cause.
During a compliance check at a pub, the Danish Gambling Authority found that a lottery game was offered illegally. Upon a follow-up check, the Danish Gambling Authority found that the lottery offer had not ceased even though the pub had been made aware of the breach of the legislation. Consequently, the Danish Gambling Authority reported the case to the police.
The lottery game is a game in which you buy three numbers that must be part of the five results drawn to win a prize. The pub did not offer the lottery as a charity lottery, since the game was not offered by an association or an organization whose purpose is not primarily to offer lotteries.
In addition to the lottery, bets on official national lotteries draw results were also offered. Gambling on bonus numbers in lottery draws are categorized as betting, and the Gambling Act prohibits betting on the result of lotteries.
The case has been before the court and the pub was sentenced to pay a fine of DKK 5,000. In determining the fine, the court took into account the rather limited scope of illegal gambling offered to a small group of people and that the defendant cannot be assumed to have had a direct financial gain from the breach.