In Sweden, the Swedish Gambling Authority sanctioned Spribe OÜ, the studio known for developing the game Aviator, for making its software available to platforms operating in the country without the required authorization. The fine was minimal, but the regulatory warning highlights a control gap in the distribution chain through aggregators.
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Spribe is a gambling software development studio founded in Georgia and registered in Estonia. Its best-known product is Aviator, a «crash» type game where players must withdraw their bet before a plane disappears from the screen. Since its launch, Aviator has become one of the fastest-growing games on betting platforms worldwide, with a presence in markets in Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The title’s popularity positioned Spribe as one of the reference providers in the non-conventional game format segment.
The Swedish Gambling Authority investigated Spribe’s presence on unauthorized sites
The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) launched an investigation after inspecting several websites operating without the authorization required by Swedish legislation. During that review, regulators found that Spribe games were available on some of those platforms and requested a formal explanation from the company.
Sweden, like other markets with exclusive licensing regimes, prohibits authorized software developers from supplying their products to operators that do not have local authorization. The regulation applies regardless of whether distribution is direct or through intermediaries, placing providers in a position of responsibility over the entire chain.
Spribe explained what happened and took immediate corrective measures
In responding to the regulator, Spribe detailed the situation case by case. Two of the identified websites had geoblocks preventing access from Swedish IP addresses, so their games were not technically accessible in the country. In two other sites, however, the games could be used from Sweden, which prompted their immediate removal once the problem was detected.
The company also reported that, on another of the flagged sites, the available games were unauthorized versions of its software, which according to Spribe constituted a violation of its intellectual property and not a consented distribution. In all cases, the company indicated to the regulator that the problem had already been corrected and that regulatory compliance was treated as an internal priority.
Regarding its business model, Spribe clarified that its games are distributed through aggregator networks and that these partners have a contractual obligation to sublicense the products only to operators that have the necessary licenses and comply with the local laws of each market.
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The SGA considered the violation serious, but opted for the minimum sanction
The authority determined that Spribe had violated Chapter 11, Section 6e of the Swedish Gambling Act, which establishes the license holder’s obligation to ensure that its software is not used by unauthorized operators, even when distribution is carried out through intermediaries.
The SGA classified the conduct as a serious violation that justified a regulatory response. However, when evaluating the circumstances of the case, it took into account that the company already applied geoblocks in the Swedish market, that it withdrew the games as soon as it became aware of the problem, and that it was likely to maintain compliance in the future. On that basis, the regulator determined that a formal warning was sufficient and ruled out license revocation.
The fine associated with the sanction was set at 5.000 Swedish kronor, equivalent to approximately 466 euros or about $490 dollars. The amount corresponds to the applicable legal limit: sanctions cannot exceed 10% of the turnover of authorized activities from the previous year. According to data provided by the company itself, its net turnover in the Swedish market was 76.101 Swedish kronor in 2024, which placed the minimum permitted fine at that figure.
The case exposes the limits of distribution through aggregators
Beyond the specific sanction, the Spribe case raises a fundamental question for the online gambling sector: to what extent can a developer delegate the responsibility of complying with local market regulations to its distribution partners.
The SGA’s position is clear: the obligation falls on the license holder, regardless of the distribution architecture used. For providers operating on a global scale through aggregator networks, this implies implementing their own verification and auditing mechanisms that go beyond contractual clauses with their intermediaries.
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