ElectraWorks Limited, a subsidiary of Entain, has been fined DKK 500,000 (€67,000) after a Danish court found it guilty of misleading marketing. The decision was issued by the Copenhagen City Court following a case linked to promotions run on bwin.dk.
The ruling focused on betting campaigns described as “risk-free,” a claim the court found inaccurate. The company used phrases such as “Risk-free play up to DKK 1,000” and “Risk-free play up to DKK 500” between October 2020 and December 2022.
Consumer Ombudsman Torben Jensen said: “When a gambling company markets itself as allowing consumers to gamble ‘risk-free’, it goes without saying that they should not be exposed to any financial risk by placing a bet.
“It is therefore important for me to emphasise that it is undoubtedly misleading to market itself as a game being ‘risk-free’ if it is not in fact the case that the consumer does not risk losing money.”
Case reveals payout structure behind offer
The court examined how the promotion worked in practice. Consumers who lost their initial bet were issued a free bet token instead of receiving their stake back.
If that free bet was successful, only the net winnings were paid out, not the full stake. The case was triggered by a customer complaint involving a DKK 1,000 bet. After losing the first wager, the player received a free bet of equal value and a DKK 15 payout on winning the second bet.
Fine reduced despite prolonged violation
ElectraWorks pleaded guilty during proceedings. The Consumer Ombudsman had referred the case to police in May 2024 after reviewing the complaint.
The court initially set the penalty at DKK 1m, citing the length of the violation and the targeting of young and new customers. The fine was later reduced by half due to delays in handling the case.
Authorities calculated the penalty based on double the marketing spend associated with the campaign.
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