BetConstruct’s European B2C subsidiary Vivaro Gaming has won its Swedish Administrative Court appeal to have its online gambling licence reinstated.
Last month, Vivaro had its licence revoked by Swedish gambling inspectorate Spelinspektionen that ruled the pan-European operator to be inactive within the market.
Citing that Vivaro accounts had registered 0 SEK revenues in the past year, Spelinspektionen annulled Vivaro’s licence for failure to launch its B2C services with a 12-month period of securing its online gambling approval – in accordance with Sweden’s reformed Gambling Act laws.
BetConstruct issued an immediate challenge to Spelinspektionen’s licence repeal, stating that Vivaro’s delay was due to the unforeseen complications of the novel coronavirus pandemic impacting its operations in Armenia.
Furthermore, a turbulent 2020 saw BetConstruct’s Armenian workforce impacted by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan – as 50 staff members were called to support Armenia’s armed forces.
BetConstruct stated that it had informed Spelinspektionen that it would be launching Vivaro’s Swedish B2C offering post-summer 2021. The technology group underlined that it had made special arrangements and undertaken dedicated resources to effectively launch within Sweden’s re-regulated online gambling marketplace.’
Reviewing Vivaro’s appeal, Sweden’s Administrative Court judged that Spelinspektionen’s licence annulment had been a ‘disproportionate measure’, as BetConstruct had informed the regulator of its extreme circumstances.
“The Administrative Court considered that it was more reasonable to give the company a chance to start the gaming business than to revoke the company’s license. The Administrative Court, therefore, changed Spelinspektionen’s decision and instead issued a warning to the company.” – cited the Spelinspektionen case filing.