star icon star icon
Join our growing mailing list!

Be the first to get exclusive No Deposit bonuses and WOW casino promotions! Get access to our new online casinos, top stories and special iGaming events for FREE.

Danish regulator reprimands LeoVegas for violating AML laws

author logo By

Stelly

in Industry

November 19, 2021

Danish regulator reprimands LeoVegas for violating AML laws

LeoVegas had no choice but to update its policies after being scolded by Spillemyndigheden for violating AML regulations.

In the gambling industry, it is good to know that a watchful eye keeps track of its patrons having a safe gambling experience, and we expect regulators to take swift action on any operator if needs be.

Swedish operator LeoVegas were recently in violation of AML regulation which led to them being reprimanded and allegedly fined by Denmark's gaming regulator, Spillemyndiqheden.

A serious lack of compliance

According to the Danish regulator, LeoVegas violated the rules on customer due diligence procedures and did not abide by the country’s money laundering act (MLA).

This serious charge of lack of compliance by the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA), came after they randomly reviewed twenty major players at LeoVegas. They found that from 2017 to 2019, five of the twenty players had breached the rules of the MLA.

Shockingly, these players deposited between £140,000 and £190,000 in DKK without LeoVegas knowing or investigating the legality of the source of the money.

“The Danish Gambling Authority notes that the rules on customer due diligence measures and the investigation and reporting obligations are fundamental in the Anti-Money Laundering Act and breaches of the rules consequently lead to an order or an action brought against the gambling operator, as a principle”, the Authority explained.

LeoVegas notified the Money Laundering Secretariat in four of the five cases, but only after the accounts had been called in for review by Spillemyndigheden, roughly between 10 and 22 months after the occurrence.

This was bittersweet for this licenced and Nasdaq quoted gaming operator, as they were only just granted licence renewals by the same regulators earlier in October 2021, extending its betting and casino services in Denmark until 2026.

No serious penalty imposed

These violations occurred between 2017 and 2019 and therefore resulted in no sanctions for the violations being imposed, but this regulator will certainly identify similar breaches far quicker in the future. LeoVegas has since updated its policies to provide better protection and identify and report security breaches, as they may occur.

The commitment to adhere to reporting obligations is a regulation all casinos have to abide by, and they need to inform the AML Secretariat in all such cases of rule-breaking.

Although LeoVegas failed to report the breach of security to the Danish regulator, they were not heavily penalised. Despite the findings, their gambling licence renewal for another five years in Denmark still stands.

LeoVegas - Committed to improve

LeoVegas has been active in the Danish gambling market since 2016 and has recently made major adjustments in its notification system and upgraded its security measures.

They commit to notifying the authorities immediately should there be any suspicion of possible money laundering in the future.

“Our Danish launch was one of our most successful, and the fact that we are now one of the largest operators in the market is testament to that,” says the CEO of LeoVegas, Gustaf Hagman.

author logo

By Stelly

Verified Casino Expert

Expertise: Journalism & PR, SEO Writing, Content Writing, International Gambling Markets

Hey, I'm Stelly! I oversee the whole content at CasinoWow, from breaking gambling news to in-depth guides and game coverage. My job is to make sure everything we publish is accurate, useful, and genuinely worth reading for every type of player.

Learn about our Review Process

Anything incorrect or missing?

Last updated: November 19, 2021

subscribe letter icon

Subscribe for Exclusive Offers!