Spelinspektionen orders Evoke to verify player accounts with concern for non-compliant players and possible issues.
The online casino industry is continuously updating security measures to increase player safety. Sweden's gaming authority - Spelinspektionen , is known for its strict approach to dealing with operators especially when it comes to player safety.
Earlier this month, William Hill's Evoke Gaming subsidiary received the order to verify Swedish player accounts once again.
A re-verification process
The Swedish gambling authority found the registration process in place unsatisfactory and as a result, wants William Hill -owned Evoke Gaming to re-verify any accounts that were manually verified early in 2019. This is a precaution to ensure that all players meet the registration requirements.
According to Spelinspektionen, businesses with Swedish-facing websites such as Williamhill.se and Redbet.com made use of manual verification methods to register their customers from the 1st of January 2019 until the end of July 2019 .
The problem with this method is that it leads to the risk of many players not complying with the regulatory requirements in place. This includes problems such as players not being permanent members of Sweden.
New systems and investigations
The regulator did a thorough investigation in 2020, looking at how Evoke oversaw the migration of existing customers after the introduction of the new licensing system in 2019.
The investigation shows that Evoke's verification system at the time made it possible for customers to manually confirm their details and provide copies of documents to verify their details are correct. This includes the necessary documentation such as ID, proof of residence, or a recent bill.
One of the biggest concerns is that there was no examination of the information in the documentation provided. There was no match against other sources unless the customer's risk profile indicated increased risk from a money laundering perspective .
It is due to this that Evoke will need to put verification measures in place for all customers that had the opportunity to validate their account manually in that seven-month period. The requirements also include providing all details to the Swedish regulator by the 9th of November 2021. Evoke must submit a report regarding the measures they have taken or is planning to take.
There is some good news for Evoke, as Spelinspektionen found the verification system in place since August 2019 fully compliant and satisfactory. The registration of any new accounts along with validation of old accounts can only be done via Trustly's Pay N Play solution , which requires BankID.
More troubles for William Hill subsidiaries
Evoke Gaming is one of two MRG subsidiaries along with Mr Green that received their Swedish license in December 2018. Shortly after, William Hill acquired MRG in 2019.
Just last month, the William Hill-owned operator, Mr Green, received two separate warnings along with penalty fees of approximately SEK 31.5m (£2.6m/€3.1m/$3.6m) from Spelinspektionen .
This was due to failures in terms of their KYC, AML, and Responsible Gambling measures.
Responsible gambling has become a rather big concern across the globe, and operators are putting more focus on the measures in place to provide a safer experience for players.
Due to Swedish regulations , Spelinspektionen saw several failures in Mr Green's responsible gambling measures and issued a SEK 30m penalty. They also received a SEK 1.5m penalty for the failures found in the anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) responsibilities.
Overall, William Hill's last few months have been full of run-ins with the Swedish regulator. The focus being on getting the failures fixed and up to standard so players can enjoy a secure gaming experience.