The Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) recently announced the official removal of Satoshi Gaming Group NV (also known as Simba NV), based in Curaçao, from the Swedish legal gambling market. The reason is that the company provided gambling services to Swedish players without obtaining the necessary authorization.
This decision was made after the regulatory body investigated the company's suspected unlicensed operations. Spelinspektionen clearly stated that Satoshi Gaming Group, involved in cryptocurrency casinos and sports betting, did not possess any Swedish gambling licenses, thus their market activities violated the current Gambling Act, constituting illegal operations.
In recent years, Sweden has continuously intensified its crackdown on unlicensed gambling operators. At the beginning of 2025, the Swedish Online Gambling Industry Association (BOS) submitted legislative amendment suggestions to the Ministry of Finance, pointing out loopholes in the current law that allow some overseas operators to bypass regulations and provide services to Swedish users.
Subsequently, in March, the Swedish Horse Betting Company (ATG) issued another warning in a report, stating that the problem of illegal gambling within the country was becoming increasingly severe, and called on the government to increase enforcement efforts to curb the expansion of gray and black market platforms.
In response to industry concerns, Spelinspektionen began promoting a new round of regulatory upgrades in April this year. Concurrently, the Bank of Sweden released a report indicating that despite current regulations prohibiting transactions with unlicensed gambling sites, technical bypassing behaviors are still common, and regulation urgently needs to plug systemic loopholes.
The ban on Satoshi Gaming Group marks the latest step Sweden has taken in combating the unlicensed gambling market. Spelinspektionen stated that it will continue to take decisive measures to clean up illegal operators and ensure market transparency and consumer safety.
