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Rules and licensingBet365 keeps Swedish betting licence after paying massive regulatory fines
Swedish courts uphold major penalties against bet365 for deposit limit failures and poor customer protection.
Written by the BettingEdgeHub desk, 17 October 2026
Swedish gambling authorities have confirmed that bet365 keeps operating licenses despite losing a major legal battle over player protection. The Administrative Court of Appeal upheld fines totaling SEK44 million against the two companies operating the brand in Sweden. Hillside Sports must pay SEK40 million and Hillside Gaming faces a SEK4 million penalty.
The deposit limit dispute
The regulatory case covered operations between January 2019 and April 2022. During this period, the betting site allowed customers to select a no limit option instead of choosing a clear numerical deposit cap. Regulators argued that this setup violated local licensing rules because the alternative was an invisible technical ceiling set at SEK500 million. The court agreed that a hidden limit does not satisfy the requirement for a customer selected cap.
Court rulings and reduced fines
The financial penalties are actually lower than the initial amounts issued by the gambling authority in 2023. Officials originally demanded SEK65 million and SEK14 million from the respective entities. Courts reduced these figures after a Supreme Administrative Court ruling changed how statutory penalties are calculated based on net turnover instead of gross turnover.
Strict monitoring requirements
Bet365 avoided losing its operating permits because management introduced corrective actions during the investigation. The operator must now conduct mandatory reviews for any customer who loses more than SEK10,000 in a single month. Additional safeguards apply to younger adults aged 18 to 24 and players returning after self exclusion.
Punters using international betting sites should expect stricter checks on their deposit limits and safer gambling triggers.