Gambling in Greenland

The Danish Gambling Authority supervises the supply of:

• Online casino
• Land-based betting
• Online betting
• Lottery

Please notice that the liberalisation of online bingo and betting on horse, dog, and pigeon racing does not apply to Greenland.

The police in Greenland issues licences to and supervises gaming machines and charity lotteries. 

Laws and Executive Orders

See historical versions of the legislation

Notice: There may have been made later changes to the acts/executive orders. Please confer with the Danish legal text in order to ensure that you have the latest version of the acts. You are always welcome to contact the Danish Gambling Authority in case of doubt.

The English versions of the acts and executive orders are unofficial translations. In case of any discrepancy between the original Danish text and the English translations of the acts and executive orders, the Danish text shall prevail.

Language requirements regarding information in Grenlandic

Monopolies

If you are a manager of a shop selling gambling products from the monopolies, you must be approved by the Danish Gambling Authority. You apply for an approval as a manager by using form no. 8-01 GRL. Read more about the monopolies under Lottery - monopolies. 

Licence to provide gambling in Greenland

You will find Danske Lotteri Spil A/S's licence below. 

The Danish Gambling Authority’s response to inspections in Greenland

If the Danish Gambling Authority suspects or becomes aware of violations of the gambling legislation, we have different response options. 
Depending on the offence, the Danish Gambling Authority may issue an order, a reprimand clarify the rules or report the matter to police.

Order

The Danish Gambling Authority may issue orders concerning circumstances that are contrary to the terms and conditions stipulated in a licence under section 32 of the Gambling Act. The Danish Gambling Authority may order that a matter be corrected or ceased immediately or within a specified deadline.

Orders may be issued verbally if there is an imminent or significant risk that the purpose of the Gambling Act will be lost. 

The Danish Gambling Authority may issue an order of declaratory nature where the recipient is notified that a given act or omission is contrary to the Gambling Act and therefore must cease (prohibition), or an order with a concrete independent content.

A decision on an order is an administrative decision. This means, among other things, that the decision can be appealed. If the Danish Gambling Authority considers that there are grounds for issuing an order, the Danish Gambling Authority will first send a written consultation of the parties (unless it is a verbal order – in these cases the consultation of the parties is also performed verbally), so that the recipient will have the opportunity to comment on the matter.  

Reprimand

The Danish Gambling Authority may give a reprimand if a breach of the terms stipulated in a licence under section 32 of the Gambling Act has been found, but where the breach no longer exists. 
In such cases, orders cannot be issued as there is nothing to be corrected in the future. Instead, the breach can be reprimanded. 

A reprimand will form the basis for the future supervision of the company concerned and the assessment of future supervisory proceedings.

A decision on a reprimand is an administrative decision. This means, among other things, that the decision can be appealed. If the Danish Gambling Authority assesses that there are grounds for a reprimand, the Danish Gambling Authority will first send a written consultation of the parties so that the recipient will have the opportunity to comment on the case.

Clarification of the rules

Clarification of the rules is an information about which rules apply and can be considered a yellow card. The Danish Gambling Authority may clarify the rules in cases of violation of provisions of executive orders issued pursuant to the Act of Greenland on certain games.

A clarification is not a decision and therefore it is not possible to appeal a clarification.  

The clarification only informs the recipient of the Danish Gambling Authority’s interpretation of applicable legislation in a particular field. 

If there is no doubt about the facts of the case, you can receive a clarification without prior consultation of the parties.

Report to the police

If a company or person has violated a provision subject to penalty in the Gambling Act, the Act of Greenland on certain games or the executive orders for Greenland on online betting, online casino and land-based betting respectively, the Danish Gambling Authority will assess whether there is a basis for a report to the police based on the nature of the violation. When the Danish Gambling Authority reports a company or person to the police, the case is handled by the police.

Publication

The Danish Gambling Authority is obliged to publish all fines, convictions and partial convictions for violations of the Gambling Act or a summary thereof on the Danish Gambling Authority’s website. The publication must include the name of the company or personally owned business. Published fines, convictions and partial convictions must remain on the Danish Gambling Authority’s website for 5 years after publication. 

If the judgment is not final, or it has been appealed or reopened, this must be stated in the publication. If the Danish Gambling Authority receives proof that the case has been concluded by an acquittal, the Danish Gambling Authority must remove all information about the case from the Danish Gambling Authority’s website within seven working days of receipt.