On 5 March 2024, the Danish Maritime and Commercial High Court ruled on a lawsuit brought by a player against the gambling provider DK Gambling, which went bankrupt in April 2022. The bankruptcy estate was acquitted and the player's request for payment of funds to his gaming account was rejected.
The case began when several players had a so-called breakaway claim rejected, meaning they would be paid the exact amount that was in their gaming accounts at the time of the bankruptcy.
On 13 September 2023 the Danish Gambling Authority chose to intervene as a secondary intervener in support of the player.
On 5 March 2024, the High Maritime and Commercial Court discharged the bankruptcy estate and therefore rejected the player's separatist claim.
Since the Danish Gambling Authority is only a secondary intervener and is therefore not a party to the dispute, the Danish Gambling Authority waits if the player chooses to appeal.
If the case is appealed, the Danish Gambling Authority will decide whether the Danish Gambling Authority should intervene in the appeal.
If the ruling is not appealed and therefore remains valid, it means that the trustee of DK Gambling should be expected to reject all separatist demands from the players.
Furthermore, the ruling – if it stands – means that the model described in gambling legislation generally does not protect players' money in the way it is intended.
If the ruling is not appealed, the Danish Gambling Authority will carry out a detailed analysis of the scope and consequences of the ruling, then initiate measures to investigate what can be done in relation to the way gambling operators gambling establishments should manage players' deposits.
