Following a test purchase and an inspection, Sweden’s gambling regulator has barred Claymore Malta Ltd from offering games to Swedish customers without a license.
Spelinspektionen said it concluded the Malta-based operator provided gambling services in Sweden via its ibet.com website despite not holding a Swedish gambling license. The regulator said it reviewed the site between December 1 and December 8, 2025.
According to Spelinspektionen, it carried out a test purchase on ibet.com and found no technical systems in place to prevent Swedish customers from accessing or using the gambling services. The regulator said licensed operators must have effective controls to prevent access from jurisdictions where they are not authorized.
During its inspection, Spelinspektionen also found that the Swedish country code was preselected when users registered on ibet.com from a Swedish IP address. The regulator said this lowered barriers for Swedish customers and made registration easier for local players.
The investigation also uncovered marketing activities aimed at Swedish consumers. These included promotions by Swedish-speaking content creators on video streaming platforms and advertisements on Swedish-language websites.
The regulator said these efforts targeted people in Sweden and increased the visibility of the unlicensed gambling offer. Under Swedish law, gambling companies must hold a valid license to market or provide gambling services to players in the country.
Claymore Malta Ltd operates another gambling website, arcticcasino.com, which was included in the assessment of the company’s activities.
In a statement received by Spelinspektionen on December 12, Claymore Malta Ltd said it had taken steps to address the regulator’s concerns. The company said it had stopped direct marketing via SMS to Swedish customers. It also said Swedish-language content had been removed from ibet.com and affiliate marketing activities targeting Sweden had ended.
However, Spelinspektionen said its findings showed marketing aimed at Swedish consumers was still ongoing. Based on its assessment, the regulator concluded Claymore had not taken sufficient action to prevent access from Sweden.
The decision comes as Spelinspektionen seeks additional powers to deal with unlicensed gambling operators. A government-commissioned review of the Swedish Gambling Act of 2018 concluded last year and proposed significant changes to the current framework.
The review recommended removing the so-called directional criterion. Under the existing rule, only online gambling specifically aimed at the Swedish market falls under the law. The proposal would shift to a participant-based approach.
Under that model, the question would be whether people located in Sweden can take part in the gambling offer. To avoid falling under the Gambling Act, operators would need to take appropriate and effective measures to block participation from Sweden, including geoblocking and other technical restrictions.
Spelinspektionen has said the proposed change would make it easier to act against unlicensed gambling companies and improve consumer protection in Sweden’s gambling market.