Swedish Politicians Exploit ATG Casino Bug, Face Repayment Demands Amid Data Leak

In May 2025, a critical bug in ATG's online casino platform allowed players to gamble without depositing money, generating nearly 55 million kronor in turnover on a single day—far above the usual 870,000 kronor daily average. The bug, originating from a Pariplay game update, disabled proper balance checks, enabling free play until ATG detected the issue over a day later and shut down affected accounts.

Among more than 2,500 players targeted by repayment demands were three local politicians: two from the Social Democrats and one from the Sweden Democrats. The sums owed ranged from 6,000 and 20,000 kronor for the Social Democrats to nearly 30,000 kronor for the Sweden Democrat, who has confirmed that he repaid the full amount. He criticized those who have not returned the funds, emphasizing the ethical expectation to refund erroneously gained money.

Data related to the incident was leaked by the hacker group Coinbase Cartel, exposing personal information of the affected players. ATG's cybersecurity chief acknowledged the breach and stated the company has reported the crime to the police.

This scandal highlights governance concerns as elected officials exploited a platform bug for financial gain. ATG's swift response to the glitch and subsequent investigative actions underscore efforts to rectify the damage and preserve public trust.