Danish Regulator Blocks 334 Sites in 2025; Amazon Settles Social Casino Suit for $201M

Danish Regulator Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Gambling

The Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden) reported blocking 334 unlicensed gambling websites in 2025, a 106.2% increase from 162 blocks in the prior year, according to its annual report. The regulator flagged 695 sites for review in cooperation with the Danish Tax Authority's anti-fraud unit; of those, 334 were confirmed by court order as offering gambling without a Danish licence, while 36 operators voluntarily withdrew or altered their services under regulatory pressure.

Spillemyndigheden attributed the rise in blocks to stronger surveillance methods rather than an expansion of the black market. A full channelisation study is expected later in 2025. The effectiveness of DNS-level blocking was illustrated by traffic data from 178 sites blocked in June 2025: Danish visits to those domains fell by approximately 34% over the subsequent six months. However, results were mixed, with some domains showing little change, the regulator noted.

To improve enforcement speed, the regulator expanded its partnership with Teleindustrien, the Danish ISP trade body, enabling dynamic blocking of mirror or “clone” sites without requiring new court orders each time. This coincided with the October 2025 passage of Spilpakke 1 legislation, which broadens the regulator's powers to block affiliate and referral sites, strengthens advertising rules—including a whistle-to-whistle ban on betting promotions during live sports—and enhances protections for minors and vulnerable groups.

The report also flagged a growing presence of illegal gambling promotions via mobile apps and social/streaming platforms. Formal complaint channels were established with Apple and Google to speed removal of illicit apps, and licensed operators gained tools to report brand misuse directly to Meta, improving takedown times.

Spillemyndigheden calculated that Danish gross gaming revenue (GGR) reached DKK 11.5bn (€1.53bn) in 2025, down 1% from 2024, and 4.9% below the inflation-adjusted level of 2012. Online casino gaming overtook lotteries as the largest segment, representing 38% of the market and generating GGR of DKK 4.31bn, a 12.1% year-on-year increase.

On the responsible gambling front, the regulator delivered 100 educational presentations to upper-secondary schools and saw rising interest from amateur and elite sports clubs requesting talks. Anders Dorph, Director of the Danish Gambling Authority, continues to chair the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), where European regulators exchange intelligence on emerging illegal gambling trends.

Amazon Settles Social Casino Lawsuit for $201 Million

In a separate U.S. development, Amazon has agreed to a proposed $201 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit alleging it facilitated illegal gambling transactions through social casino apps on its Amazon Appstore. The lawsuit, filed by Nevada resident Steven Horn in November 2023, claimed Amazon violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act and state gambling laws by acting as the exclusive payment processor for in-app purchases of virtual casino chips, receiving a 30% commission on those transactions.

Amazon denied any wrongdoing but agreed to settle. The proposed settlement, subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, would resolve all claims against Amazon. Under the terms, class members would not execute the $201 million judgment against Amazon directly. Instead, a litigation trust will allow consumers to pursue reimbursement from 32 social casino game developers using Amazon’s contractual indemnification rights. The proposed judgment represents 30% of every dollar class members spent on social casino applications during the relevant period. Amazon also agreed to contribute $2.5 million to cover class-notice and administration costs.

Plaintiffs stated in a court filing that the class is "poised to recover a significant portion of their total losses that keeps pace with the settlements achieved against the social casino developers." Amazon required developers to improve customer experience and ensure their apps comply with applicable laws, warning it will remove non-compliant applications. The settlement comes amid heightened scrutiny of social casino and sweepstakes gaming in the U.S., and separate lawsuits remain pending against Apple, Google, and Meta, including claims under the RICO Act.