STOCKHOLM, WILLEMSTAD – The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) has issued an immediate ban on Simba NV, a gambling operator licensed in Curaçao, for offering gambling services to Swedish consumers without the necessary Swedish license. This move highlights ongoing concerns about Curaçao-licensed operators targeting regulated markets without proper authorization.
The ban follows an investigation into multiple websites owned by Simba NV, including betblast.com, slotmonster.com, and foxygold.com. The SGA found that these sites automatically select Sweden as the default country when accessed from Swedish IP addresses and actively promote their services through Swedish-language affiliate marketing. Notably, foxygold.com was advertised by a Swedish-speaking Twitch influencer, further underscoring the operator’s clear intent to target Swedish players.
Under Sweden’s Gambling Act, operators must obtain a local license to offer gambling services to Swedish consumers. Simba NV, despite holding a license issued in Curaçao, does not have a Swedish license, making its activities illegal under Swedish law.
In total, Simba NV operates at least 15 gambling websites, including wreckbet.com, thehighroller.com, puppybet.com, klikkikasino.com, and slotit.com, all of which are implicated in the SGA’s ruling.
The Swedish regulator emphasized that the immediate ban aims to protect consumers and maintain the integrity of Sweden’s licensed gambling market. Despite being invited to respond, Simba NV did not provide comments before the ban was imposed. The company retains the right to appeal the decision.
This case highlights the ongoing challenges and scrutiny faced by Curaçao-licensed gambling operators attempting to enter regulated markets such as Sweden. Curaçao’s licensing framework remains popular for many operators due to its relatively lenient regulations, but incidents like this reinforce the importance of compliance with national gambling laws when targeting international players.
As global jurisdictions tighten controls over online gambling, Curaçao’s gambling licenses continue to be under the spotlight, raising questions about their recognition and enforcement in more strictly regulated markets.
