For the second time within the week, Novatech has faced criticism – this time, it’s the Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, which has taken aim at the operator.
Spelinspektionen launched its case against Novatech for supplying unlicensed games to players, with the regulator deciding the operator would be instantly prohibited from operating in Sweden. It found that several of its websites were targeting the domestic market without a Swedish licence.
The regulator has pointed to player protection concerns as the primary reason for its decision.
The ban comes after an inspection carried out between 23-25 February 2026, during which Spelinspektionen examined several domains operated by the company, such as qbet.com, mangacasino.com, slotexpress.com, 55bet.com and 30bet.com.
According to the regulator, players accessing the sites from Swedish IP addresses were automatically shown the Swedish country code during registration.
The regulator also discovered that Novatech’s brands were promoted via Swedish-language websites and by Swedish-language content creators on video streaming platforms.
Spelinspektionen also attempted a covert test purchase on qbet.com as part of its investigation, though the transaction wasn’t completed. However, the authority stated that Swedish players weren’t blocked from registering and creating accounts on the operator’s websites.
Under Sweden’s Gambling Act, companies must have a domestic licence to provide gambling services to the Swedish market. The regulator stated that the overall evidence indicated that the sites operated by Novatech were clearly targeting Swedish players, even though the operator didn’t hold a local licence.
Sweden has been waging a long-standing battle against the black market since re-regulating its gaming sector in 2019. Offshore online casinos are particularly common in the market, although the situation is somewhat better regarding sports betting.
Novatech causing controversy in Europe
This isn’t the first time Novatech has gotten into trouble with a regulator – it’s actually the second time this week the brand has faced criticism.
On Tuesday, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) imposed a record €24.9m (£21.5m) fine on the firm for illegally targeting players in the Netherlands.
In that instance, the Dutch regulator said investigators could create accounts, deposit funds, and gamble on several domains without restrictions, while also identifying issues such as limited age verification and the availability of cryptocurrency payments.
Executives at the KSA stated that the fine would have been higher – exceeding €100m – had it not been limited by Dutch law to fining the company a maximum of 10% of its global turnover.