Sweden Moves to Ban Duel.com, Operator Pushes Back

Sweden's regulator, Spelinspektionen, has issued an immediate ban against Immortal Snail LLC, the operator of the offshore betting site duel.com. The regulator said it made the decision to protect consumers. The site, which operates under an Anjouan Gaming Authority license, also serves users in the United States, Canada, India, Finland, Germany, Poland, Norway and Spain. However, the site does not hold a local license in any of these countries.

The site has drawn attention in recent years for its aggressive marketing tactics and is cited in the industry as a negative example. According to Blask Index data, the site's impact is not limited to Sweden. It is unclear, however, whether operators of this kind will comply with regulatory decisions. Many illegally operating companies refuse to pay fines or stop their activities.

The company's response to the ban is notable. Immortal Snail argued that Swedish is an international language and did not ask for it to be removed from the site. It also said it could not control payments made in the Swedish krona, SEK. These statements suggest the company does not intend to comply with the decision.

The regulator's review found that IP blocking targeting Sweden has not yet been implemented. The company also did not mention additional measures such as geographic restrictions. This means Swedish users may still be able to access the site through a VPN.