In a firm move designed to protect its regulated market, Sweden has taken the decision to permanently ban Satoshi Gaming Group NV from operating in the country. The announcement was made by Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gaming regulator, in a statement highlighting repeated breaches of the legal framework.
The reason? The company was offering online gambling services to Swedish residents without holding the compulsory licence imposed since the reform of the market in 2019. Legislation that the country is now rigorously applying.
Active targeting of the Swedish market
Spelinspektionen does not sanction lightly. For an operator to be banned, it must have actively targeted the Swedish market. This is precisely what Satoshi Gaming Group NV is alleged to have done, according to evidence gathered by the regulator. This evidence includes the language used on the platform and its marketing through Swedish affiliates.
Satoshi was invited to submit its observations on two occasions, on 6 February and 6 March 2025. In its first response, the group stated that it had blocked access to its site from the Swedish IP addresses. However, an additional check carried out between 18 and 28 February revealed that although the platform was inaccessible from the authority’s IP address, it could still be accessed from another Swedish IP address, which was reported to the operator on 28 February.
In its second statement, Satoshi Gaming said it had strengthened its blocking measures, while announcing a review of Swedish-language content on its site and in its promotional material. However, no precise indication was given as to the timetable for implementing these corrections, leaving Spelinspektionen uncertain as to the sincerity and effectiveness of the commitments made by the company.
Who is Satoshi Gaming Group NV?
Little known to the general public, Satoshi Gaming Group NV is a company registered in Curaçao, a territory regularly associated with offshore operators. The group manages several online gaming brands, some of whose platforms attract a young audience through loot box mechanisms or betting linked to video games.
Under Swedish law, any gambling offer aimed at Swedish residents must be approved by the Spelinspektionen. Failing this, the operator is considered illegal, with direct consequences: a ban on activity, financial penalties, and the possibility of DNS blocking.
A wider wave of sanctions
Satoshi Gaming is not the only one in the hot seat. This ban is part of a series of sanctions recently imposed by Sweden against unauthorised players, including the popular sites Hellcase.com, Key-drop.com and GG.bet.
These platforms all have one thing in common: they are actively targeting the Swedish market without being authorised to do so. The authorities accuse them of bypassing player protection systems and exposing consumers, including minors, to dangerous and unregulated forms of gambling.
Behind this series of decisions lies a clear political will. Sweden, like many European countries, wants to preserve the integrity of its gambling market and protect players from abusive practices.
What’s next?
The ban imposed on Satoshi Gaming is definitive. The group will no longer be able to operate on Swedish territory, unless it obtains a licence in due form – which seems unlikely given its record.
For Swedish players, this decision aims to limit access to non-compliant operators, notably by blocking payment methods or banning promotion on social networks.