Swedish Supreme Court: Betsson must repay EUR 527,395 to problem gambler (Högsta domstolen): Status, Rulings and What It Means for Players

On July 1, 2025, Sweden's Supreme Court (Högsta domstolen, T 607-24) ruled that BML Group Ltd, the Betsson company, must repay EUR 527,395 in net losses to a player it knew had a serious gambling problem.

The court affirmed the Patent and Market Court of Appeal's judgment of December 21, 2023, except for SEK 10,000 in damages.

No refund process exists for other players. The judgment binds one operator and one customer and sets a precedent for later courts, but it created no fund, claim form or deadline. Filing a settlement claim is always free, and GamblingLawsuits.org is not a law firm and not a claims administrator.

What this case is about

The case is BML Group Ltd (Betsson) mot P.L., decided by Högsta domstolen under docket T 607-24. A Swedish customer asked the courts to void their gambling agreements with Betsson, and the dispute was one customer's action, not a class action or an administrative settlement.

What the player claimed and what 33 § avtalslagen says

The player, identified only as P.L., sued for nearly EUR 16 million after wagering nearly EUR 15 million between 2009 and 2014, arguing that the gambling agreements were invalid.

Under 33 § avtalslagen, an agreement is invalid when enforcing it would be contrary to good faith and honor. The theory is the one behind most gambling addiction lawsuits: the operator knew of the problem and still relied on the contract.

For readers who want the wider picture, our overview of gambling addiction lawsuits lists the duty-of-care cases we track and how each one ended. Each case page says what the court decided and whether any payment exists.

Who the parties are

The defendant is BML Group Ltd, the Betsson company based in Malta; the claimant is a Swedish customer identified as P.L. The player gambled from 2009 to 2014, was upgraded to VIP status in January 2012 and self-excluded in October 2014.

Who is covered

This ruling decides the rights of one player and one operator; no group of players is covered and no claim period exists. The case was an individual action, so it creates no class and no list of eligible players.

Who can rely on this ruling

Other players can cite the Supreme Court's reasoning, but each claim turns on its own facts, such as what the operator's data showed and when. The judgment does not create a claims process.

Swedish courts have already followed the ruling. Svea hovrätt applied it in February 2026 in a case against two Betsson companies, about SEK 4.7 million per press. Every Swedish case, court and settlement we track is listed under gambling lawsuits in Sweden, and no registry, form or deadline exists for this one.

Is there a payout?

No settlement or payout program exists for other players: the Supreme Court's judgment of 1 July 2025 (T 607-24) ordered Betsson to repay one player's net loss of EUR 527,395 plus legal costs of SEK 718,750, and the record does not confirm that the payment has been made.

What Betsson was ordered to pay: EUR 527,395 plus costs

Ordered repayment = net loss during the VIP period (from 2012-01) = EUR 527,395 (about SEK 5.9 million)
Costs = SEK 718,750 (of which counsel SEK 468,750), paid by BML Group Ltd for the Supreme Court proceedings
Removed = SEK 10,000 for psychological harm (Court of Appeal award, reversed by the Supreme Court)
No fund, no fee share, no claim rate, no cap: individual judgment

The EUR 527,395 equals the player's net loss during the VIP period, about SEK 5.9 million at the conversion in our record. The aggregate net loss over the whole period was nearly SEK 8 million, and only the VIP-period loss was ordered back.

Betsson also pays the player's Supreme Court costs of SEK 718,750, of which SEK 468,750 covers counsel. The record does not confirm that payment has been made. Our guide to what courts have ordered on gambling losses shows how other countries have treated comparable claims.

Why the SEK 10,000 damages award was overturned

The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's judgment except for the SEK 10,000 awarded for psychological harm, which it removed. The Court of Appeal had added that sum for personal injury on December 21, 2023. The record we hold does not state the reasons for the reversal.

What happens next

Nothing is pending in this case: the Supreme Court is the last instance, and no hearing or deadline follows. The next step for any other player is a new claim in a Swedish court, not a filing in this case. As of November 14, 2026, the record does not confirm that Betsson has paid.

Timeline

The dispute ran through three courts over more than four years.

A later Svea hovrätt judgment followed in February 2026, and the Dutch Hoge Raad went the other way on a different question on July 3, 2026.

What the court has decided so far

Three courts have decided this case, and only the last one is binding precedent. The Patent and Market Court dismissed the action, the Patent and Market Court of Appeal found the agreements invalid under 33 § avtalslagen and ordered repayment, and the Supreme Court affirmed save the damages.

The Supreme Court's test: operator knowledge from behavioral data

The Supreme Court held that an operator whose automated systems collect behavioral data is deemed to know what that data shows. Betsson knew of the serious gambling problem from the VIP upgrade in January 2012, the court found.

Its intrusive marketing made relying on the agreements contrary to good faith. Other supreme courts have not all followed that path: on July 3, 2026 the Dutch Hoge Raad held that pre-2021 online gambling contracts are not void, on a different legal question.

What the Supreme Court did not decide

The judgment does not fix a refund formula for other players and does not say that all gambling contracts with problem gamblers are void. It decides the facts of this player's case: what Betsson's data showed, when it showed it and what Betsson did next.

Documents and sources

Every date and amount on this page comes from the Supreme Court's English translation of T 607-24, the Court of Appeal's judgment and the court's news release, listed here.

• Högsta domstolen T 607-24, English translation of the judgment of July 1, 2025 (domstol.se, primary)
• Patent and Market Court of Appeal, PMT 4156-21, December 21, 2023 (domstol.se, primary)
• Supreme Court case page in the precedents archive (domstol.se, primary)
• Supreme Court news release (domstol.se, primary)
• CMS legal update and next.io report (secondary, supporting)

Related cases

Related cases show how courts in Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria and the UK treated the same question.

Other Betsson cases in Sweden and Finland

Betsson appears in several court cases in our record, but only one other is a player's claim.

• Svea hovrätt orders Betsson companies to repay SEK 4.7M: the player's claim that applied the rule in February 2026
• Betsson SEK 20M sanction annulled: a regulator case, not a player claim
• Betsson Nordic AML fee upheld: a 2026 money-laundering sanction case
• Betsson Finland marketing ban and EUR 2.4M conditional fine upheld: a Finnish marketing case

Players weighing a claim against any operator can compare the grounds that have worked in our guide on can you sue a casino or sportsbook.

How courts abroad treated problem gamblers' losses

Courts elsewhere have mostly refused these claims.

• Ashton v Betfair: the High Court of England and Wales dismissed a duty-of-care negligence claim on November 13, 2026 ([2026] EWHC 2935 (KB))
• Gambling addiction is not incapacity (OGH 2025): the Austrian Supreme Court, 8 Ob 41/25z

The UK duty-of-care route failed in Calvert (2008), Gibson (Court of Appeal 2025) and Ashton, and our guide to UK gambling compensation claims sets out what has succeeded in court.

Questions people ask

Did the Swedish Supreme Court order Betsson to repay a problem gambler?

Yes: on July 1, 2025 the Supreme Court (T 607-24) affirmed an order that BML Group Ltd repay EUR 527,395. The order covers one player's net loss during the VIP period.

How much did Betsson have to repay?

EUR 527,395 in net losses plus SEK 718,750 in the player's Supreme Court costs. The SEK 10,000 awarded for psychological harm was removed.

What is 33 § avtalslagen?

It is the provision on invalidity where enforcing an agreement would be contrary to good faith and honor. The Supreme Court applied it to Betsson's gambling agreements with this player.

Can other players claim a refund from Betsson in Sweden?

Other players can bring their own claims, and a Svea hovrätt judgment of February 2026 applied the same rule, but there is no shared claim process. For what courts have allowed elsewhere, read can you get gambling losses back.

Has Betsson paid?

The record does not confirm payment; it confirms the order and the amounts. We will update this page if a court document or an official notice reports payment.

Does this ruling apply in the Netherlands, Finland or the UK?

No; it is Swedish precedent, and the Dutch Hoge Raad reached the opposite result on a different question in July 2026. The details are in our page on the Dutch Supreme Court ruling on pre-2021 online gambling contracts.

GamblingLawsuits.org is a non-commercial project. It takes no money from operators, affiliates or law firms. We are not a law firm and not a settlement administrator. Last checked: November 14, 2026.