Last December, Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gambling regulator, received multiple reports regarding the participation of an underage individual in Bingolotto, a televised lottery organized by Folkspel, on December 23, 2023. Folkspel itself notified Spelinspektionen in January after confirming that a minor had called in and participated in the game.
Spelinspektionen’s subsequent investigation, as detailed in a filing on June 25, revealed that there were no existing technical measures in place at the time to verify the identity or age of callers participating in Bingolotto. Despite the absence of direct suspicion at the time of ticket purchase, Folkspel’s terms clearly mandate that ticket buyers must be at least 18 years old.
Acknowledging previous incidents involving minors, Folkspel disclosed that these underage participants typically used tickets belonging to adults, often parents or guardians. In response to Spelinspektionen’s inquiries, Folkspel undertook internal reviews and implemented operational changes aimed at preventing future breaches.
Effective March 31, they introduced manual age verifications before allowing participation in Bingolotto, alongside ongoing efforts to develop a technical solution for automated identity checks using social security numbers.
Despite these measures, Spelinspektionen concluded that Folkspel had unquestionably violated regulations by permitting underage gambling. Highlighting systemic flaws in identity verification procedures across multiple cases involving minors, the regulator issued a warning and imposed sanctions on Folkspel.
This incident underscores ongoing challenges in ensuring compliance with age restrictions in gambling activities, prompting regulatory scrutiny and operational adjustments within the industry to enhance safeguarding measures against underage gambling.