Kindred challenges the coercive fine in Norway

VALLETTA, Malta, Nov. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kindred Group, via its wholly owned Maltese subsidiary Trannel International Ltd, has been informed that the Norwegian Gaming Authority has decided to reinstate the coercive fine against Trannel International despite the changes Kindred Group has undertaken. Kindred Group disagrees with the legal basis for the non-enforceable fine and will continue to challenge this in the courts.

Kindred Group plc (Kindred) has during the past month, via its wholly owned Maltese subsidiary Trannel International Ltd (Trannel), performed several changes in its offering to ensure compliance with the requirements set out by the Norwegian Gaming Authority (NGA) in the cease-and-desist order from 2019.

These changes have been undertaken to clarify that the company is not targeting Norwegian residents.

Kindred is implementing the following changes in line with requirements from the NGA:          

• Changing the language on all sites from Norwegian to English
• Removing any Norwegian flags from websites and channels
• Changing name on Storspiller to non-Norwegian name
• Discontinuing all advertising and marketing activities in Norwegian
• Ceasing to offer Norwegian speaking customer service agents

Despite of these changes and Trannel's clear communication to the contrary, the NGA incorrectly claims that Trannel's offering still targets Norwegian residents and has therefore decided to reinstate the coercive fine.

Trannel firmly disagrees with the NGA's assessment as it is fully legal for Norwegian residents to access and use international gambling services, which are licensed in the EU/EEA area and offered within a safe and secure environment, Kindred will continue to passively accept customers residing in Norway. The NGA does not have jurisdiction over Trannel as the company is domiciled in Malta and duly licensed by the Maltese Gaming Authority. Therefore, Kindred is confident that the coercive fine cannot be enforced by the NGA outside of Norway.

Kindred has for an extended period applied for a gambling licence in Norway as the company wish to be an active part of Norwegian society and contribute through taxes, investments in sports, supporting NGOs and research institutes.  

Kindred strongly believes that a locally licensed, transparent and non-discriminatory gambling market in Norway where responsible operators can operate under the supervision of competent authorities is the best solution for Norwegian society, players and operators. 

For more information:
Maria Angell Dupont, External Communications Manager, Kindred Group
press@kindredgroup.com
+46 72 165 15 17

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