Sweden regulator bans Duel.com operator over unlicensed activities

Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s Gambling Authority, has issued an immediate ban against Immortal Snail LLC which is the operating company behind offshore gambling platform Duel.com. The operator has attracted attention in recent years for its controversial marketing campaigns, including provocative social media content and advertising practices that have drawn criticism from the regulated gambling industry. Duel.com operates through a .com platform under a licence issued by the Anjouan Gaming Authority. Spelinspektionen said its enforcement action was taken in the interests of consumer protection. Duel.com failed to implement Swedish market restrictions The effectiveness of the ban is in doubt, as offshore operators may not comply with rules and fines. According to a court document submitted by Spelinspektionen, Immortal Snail had responded to the enforcement of these restrictions by arguing that Swedish is a global language and that Sweden can be blocked from using the internet by IP address. The filing states: Immortal Snail LLC has made a statement and states the following. The company has stated that Swedish is an international language and stated that Sweden as a country should be IP-blocked. Furthermore, the company has stated that the company cannot control whether payments are made in the Swedish currency SEK. Finally, the company has stated that the company should not cease offering Swedish as a language on the website. However, the regulator found that the proposed restrictions had not been implemented. The authority added: The Swedish currency SEK and Swedish as a language still appear when logging in from a Swedish IP address. Furthermore, the authority has noted continued Swedish-language marketing of the company’s website duel.com. Duel.com marketing raises further concerns This enforcement action comes at a time when Duel.com continues to be criticized for its advertisements. Previous marketing efforts included sexual content actresses performing different sexual acts while playing blackjack and videos made with actors disguised as German soldiers from the Nazi era. These advertising campaigns raised concerns regarding the use of social media by offshore gambling companies to reach customers, especially the younger audience. This issue has also attracted the attention of various regulators and other industry organizations calling for further action against illegal gambling advertisements by worldwide technology companies.