A Swedish court has sentenced seven defendants in a fraud case that involved internet poker sites, sentencing the ringleaders to jail terms, while others were given probation for their crimes.
The case comes after a lengthy investigation by Sweden's gambling regulator, Lotteriinspektionen and law enforcement agencies.
The group of criminals is alleged to have stolen private information from several large online betting sites over the course of four years, using the details to steal money sealed in customer accounts. Those who have identified their funds as missing are set to be repaid, while any remaining claims will go to the government.
The two ringleaders hailed from the towns of Karlstad and Stockholm, and were given two and a half years and fifteen months in jail respectively.
Commenting on the sentencing, Lotteriinspektionen Operations Manager Erik Sjöholm said: "It is noteworthy that this could last for so long and that it was so easy to obtain the login information for email addresses and game accounts. These are security issues that should be reviewed in light of the approaches that have emerged in the investigation."