Danish Gambling Authority Blocks 98 Illegal Sites to Protect Players

The Danish Gambling Authority blocks 98 illegal gambling sites

On 8 July, the court at Frederiksberg ruled in favour of the Danish Gambling Authority to have 98 websites blocked that offered illegal gambling to Danes.

The Danish Gambling Authority countinously monitors websites that offer gambling to Danes without a licence. The blocking of the sites is done through the court, which assesses whether they should be blocked, and now the court in Frederiksberg has ruled in favour of the Danish Gambling Authority and have ordered the Danish internet service providers to block 98 gambling sites.

In total, the Danish Gambling Authority has had 870 illegal gambling sites blocked since 2012.

How the blocks take place

When the Danish Gambling Authority assesses that a website is offering gambling illegally, the Danish Gambling Authority first asks the operator to stop the offer. If this does not happen, the Danish Gambling Authority will contact the telecommunications providers, who is asked to block access to the websites so that their customers cannot access the sites. After this, the telecommunications providers ask for the court's word that the sites are illegal and that they must shut down access to the websites. There is therefore a longer process from the Danish Gambling Authority's assessment that a website offers gambling illegally to the fact that it can no longer be accessed by Danish citizens.

The Danish Gambling Authority's warrant for blocking access to the illegal websites is done with a DNS blocker. In this case, the connection between the player and the website of the gambling operator is blocked by the telecommunication provider used by the player. If you try to access a blocked website, you will be greeted by a page with information that the site is illegal and blocked by the Danish Gambling Authority.  

When is gambling illegal in Denmark?

It is illegal to offer gambling in Denmark or target the Danish market without a licence from the Danish Gambling Authority. A game is considered to be directed against Denmark if one or more of the following elements are present, among other things:

• Danish language
• Danish currency
• Danish flag
• Marketing targeted Denmark
• Payment cards that only work in Denmark
• Danish customer service
• Connecting via Steam (Digital distribution platform for multiple computer games)
• The composition of the gambling offer means that it targets Danish players, for example, by offering bets on sports events in lower national ranks.

Look for the label

All gambling operators with a licence to offer gambling in Denmark must use the Danish Gambling Authority's label of approval.

The label helps players to see which gambling operators have a licence to offer gambling on the Danish market. It contributes to creating a safe gambling market and is not allowed to be used in other contexts without prior written approval from the Danish Gambling Authority. Therefore, as a player, you can count on the fact that sites with the Danish Gambling Authority's label are legal in Denmark.