Sweden Bans Duel Casino: What the Ruling Means for Players

Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has banned Duel.com from the Swedish market. In a decision dated 28 October 2026, it prohibits Immortal Snail LLC, the company behind Duel, from offering gambling in Sweden without a licence. The ban applies immediately. There is no fine.

Duel is one of the casinos we test, and its chart is live on this site. Here is what the regulator found, what Duel told it, and what changes for players.

The short version

Who	Immortal Snail LLC, company number L22982, Charlestown, Nevis. Runs duel.com under an Anjouan licence
What	Banned from offering gambling in Sweden without a Swedish licence
When	Decision of 28 October 2026, case 26Si2185. Applies immediately
Fine	None
Same day	Lufilight Ltd, behind Ivibet, Hellspin and Slotsgem, got the same ban
Outside Sweden	Nothing changes for now

What Spelinspektionen found

Swedish law only covers online gambling that is aimed at the Swedish market. So the question was not whether Swedes could reach Duel, but whether Duel was aiming at them. The regulator says it was, for three reasons:

Swedish appears as a language when you choose a payment method.
Swedish kronor (SEK) can be selected as a payment currency.
Duel is marketed through Swedish language websites aimed at Swedish players.

It also found nothing that stopped Swedes from signing up. The regulator tried a covert test purchase on the site, but says it was not completed. The decision makes the rule clear: if Swedish players cannot register at all, Swedish law does not apply. A working block would have been enough to avoid the ban.

What Duel told the regulator

Immortal Snail LLC answered the case. According to the decision, it said Swedish is an international language, that Sweden should be IP blocked, and that it cannot control whether payments are made in SEK. It also said it would not stop offering Swedish on the site.

On 28 October Spelinspektionen checked again. The IP block had not been put in place. SEK and Swedish still appeared when logging in from a Swedish IP address, and the Swedish language marketing was still running. That follow-up check is what the ban rests on.

Did the ban work the same evening?

The Swedish site Bettingbladet tested it at 19:30 on 28 October. Registration on Duel still worked from Sweden with only a username and a password. SEK and Swedish were not shown at that point. Hellspin, one of the Lufilight brands banned the same day, also still took sign-ups and offered Visa and Mastercard.

That is normal for this kind of decision. A ban is an order, not a switch. It becomes real when the operator blocks the country or when payment providers stop processing for it.

The other casino banned that day

Spelinspektionen published a second ban on 28 October against Lufilight Ltd, which holds a Kahnawake licence and runs Ivibet, Hellspin and Slotsgem. According to Global Gaming Insider, its alternate links changed domain during the investigation, and the new ones opened with Sweden and the +46 phone code already selected. Lufilight did not answer the regulator.

For Duel’s founders this is not the first time. iGaming Republic reports that Duel was founded by Ossi “Monarch” Ketola of CSGOEmpire, and that Spelinspektionen banned the CSGOEmpire operator, Moonrail Limited B.V., in November 2023.

If you play on Duel from Sweden

Your account still works today, but the ground has moved under it. Three things are worth knowing.

A block may come without warning. Duel told the regulator Sweden should be IP blocked. Its restricted list does not include Sweden yet, but if it adds it, playing from a Swedish IP becomes a breach of its terms. Do not keep a balance there that you would hate to see frozen.
Your winnings are taxable. The Swedish Tax Agency, Skatteverket, says winnings over 100 kronor are taxed when the game needs a Swedish licence and the operator does not have one. You pay 30% on the net win per operator per calendar year, declared as capital income. Losses at one casino cannot be set against wins at another.
Swedish protections do not reach it. Spelpaus, the national self-exclusion register, only covers companies with a Swedish licence. Duel has never been part of it. If you need a break, use the casino’s own limits and read our responsible gambling page.

If you play from somewhere else

Nothing changes for now. The ban is about where Duel markets itself, not about how it pays or whether its games are fair. Our own test of Duel went well, and the details are on its chart.

The case is still a useful reminder of what an Anjouan licence means. It lets a casino operate, but it does not give it the right to take players from countries that license gambling themselves, and it gives players there no local protection. Before you deposit anywhere, find the restricted list and check how it works. We explain how in our guide on how to read casino terms.

What we are watching

Whether Duel adds Sweden to its restricted list or puts in the IP block it mentioned. If it does, we will update the chart. The decision can be appealed, and the instructions are attached to it. We will also note any appeal.

FAQ

Q01Is Duel.com banned in Sweden?

Yes. On 28 October 2026 Spelinspektionen banned Immortal Snail LLC, the company behind Duel.com, from offering gambling in Sweden without a licence. The ban applies immediately. No fine was issued.

Q02Why did Sweden ban Duel?

The regulator found that Duel aimed at Swedish players: Swedish appeared at the payment step, SEK could be selected, and Swedish language sites marketed it. Nothing stopped Swedes from registering, and an IP block Duel mentioned had not been put in place by 28 October.

Q03Can I still play on Duel from Sweden?

Registration still worked on the evening of the ban, according to Bettingbladet. That can change if Duel blocks Sweden. Winnings over 100 kronor from an unlicensed operator aimed at Sweden are taxable at 30% of the net win, and Spelpaus does not cover Duel.

Q04Does the ban affect Duel players outside Sweden?

No. The decision only covers gambling offered in Sweden. It says nothing about Duel’s payouts or games, and players in other countries are not affected for now.

Q05Which other casino did Sweden ban on 28 October 2026?

Lufilight Ltd, which runs Ivibet, Hellspin and Slotsgem under a Kahnawake licence. The regulator noted that its alternate links changed domain during the investigation with Sweden preselected. Lufilight did not answer the regulator.