Bwin fined by Danish court for misleading “risk-free gambling” claim

(AsiaGameHub) –   The Copenhagen City Court has determined that an advertisement constituted unlawful marketing.

Denmark.- The Danish sportsbook site bwin.dk, owned by Entain, has been fined for violating the country’s marketing laws. Following a complaint from Denmark’s Consumer Ombudsman against the site’s operator, ElectraWorks, the Copenhagen City Court issued a penalty of DKK 500,000 (approximately €65,800).

The case focused on a promotion advertising “Risk-Free Gambling”. This claim prompted the Ombudsman to involve the police in 2024 after receiving a complaint from a consumer.

One Bwin advert promoted “risk-free gambling up to 1,000 DKK”. A customer who took up this offer placed a DKK 1,000 bet and lost. He was then given a free bet for the same amount, won his second bet, but only received a payout of DKK 15. The consumer contended that the promotion was deceptive, as he suffered a net financial loss even with the “risk-free” promise.

Consumer Ombudsman Torben Jensen emphasized: “If a gambling company promotes itself as offering ‘risk-free’ gambling, it should be self-evident that consumers face no financial risk when they place a bet. It is therefore crucial to state that marketing a game as ‘risk-free’ is unquestionably misleading if the consumer can, in fact, lose money.”

The court found that the promotion was illegal marketing under the Marketing Practices Act, which bans advertisements that are misleading or have the potential to mislead consumers.

This verdict arrives as Denmark considers stricter regulations for gambling advertising, such as a ban on ads from whistle to whistle in live sports coverage.