Sweden

Online sports betting in Sweden - Legal & regulated since 2019

Online gambling and sports betting have been legal since 2002 when an amendment to the Lotteries Act gave state-owned Svenska Spel a monopoly over Swedish companies offering sports betting and other online gambling games. This meant that no foreign gambling operator could legally offer any betting services for the Swedes online.

However, Swedish bettors still willingly opted to access offshore sportsbooks and gambling sites, causing the country to miss out on some substantial tax revenues. Therefore, it was pretty obvious that the Swedish gambling laws required some changes. Even the European Union was pressuring the country to update its legislation, so the Swedish government opened its online betting and gambling market on January 1, 2019.

After this, foreign online sports betting and gambling operators apply for a license to access the market. This allows them to offer betting services to the Swedes and advertise their brand there

The updated legislation created Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority, which still regulates all online sports betting, and the same authority licenses both Swedish-owned and foreign operators. It also collaborates tightly with the Malta Gaming Authority to ensure high standards in the whole industry. Around 90 gambling operators have Swedish licenses and approximately 30 offer sports betting verticals for local bettors. Most of these licensees are also equipped with Maltese MGA iGaming licenses.

At the moment, Swedish bettors have access to numerous foreign sportsbooks and several betting apps owned by Swedish operators, as many of the gambling industry's big-name operators are based in the country. In addition, there's always an option to wager on Svenska Spel, the state-owned sports betting site.

Sports betting legislation in Sweden

In addition to all the online sports betting sites and applications that operate with proper Swedish licenses, local bettors can also place online and mobile wagers on the state-owned Svenska Spel. The state's own operator also runs all retail betting shops in the country, as in-person wagering is also entirely legal.

There are no restrictions on which types of sports or markets you can bet on, so the options are pretty much endless in Sweden. Live betting, eSports wagering, and even DFS are all available.

Therefore, betting on horse racing is also legal in Sweden. Although there is not quite the same culture for thoroughbred horse racing as in other European countries like the UK or Ireland, there are four thoroughbred courses in the country, with around 550 races per year. However, trot racing is even more popular, with 35 courses nationwide.

Recent updates from the Swedish sports betting scene

• February 26, 2024: Sweden's Ministry of Finance proposes a stricter ban on using credit for sports betting and other online gambling. The aim is to enhance existing regulations prohibiting licensed operators from offering credit under the Gambling Act.

• January 26, 2024: Svenska Spel rebrands its horse racing games as Svenska Spel Hästar after a legal dispute with ATG over the name. Svenska Spel Hästar offers diverse betting choices, encompassing high-stakes games like High Five and Duo and formats like Winner and Place in French competitions.

• November 23, 2023: A recent study reveals that Sweden's gambling market shows a channelization rate of 70%, with sports betting at 78% and online casino at 59%. The findings suggest that nearly half of online casino spending occurs on unlicensed platforms, highlighting significant illegal activity in the sector.

• October 3, 2023: Kambi Group reveals a significant partnership with Svenska Spel Sport and Casino in Sweden. The agreement entails Kambi exclusively providing sports betting services for both online and retail platforms operated by Svenska Spel.

All legal gambling options in Sweden - Hundreds of online casino platforms available!

Since the gambling laws change, the Swedish Gambling Authority has granted permits to over 100 private operators, including Swedish and foreign-owned companies. As such, Swedish gambling enthusiasts can access almost a hundred different online casinos legally, offering a wide range of virtual slots, table games, live game shows, and all kinds of real-money card games, as well as more unusual games, like instant scratch cards.

So, basically, all online casino games, including online poker and bingo, are legal in Sweden. Lotteries have also been quite popular in Sweden since the 1980s, and, for example, Bingolotto and Vikinglotto are still household names within this sector.

At the beginning of the 2024 calendar year, the Svenska Spel announced its intention to close two retail casinos in Sweden, leaving the country with only one land-based casino, Casino Cosmopol, in Stockholm.

Other gambling-related news & stories from Sweden

• April 4, 2024: An SVT report reveals 80% of top Swedish Twitch influencers promote unlicensed casinos, mostly to young males, using direct marketing tactics. Despite Twitch's gambling content rules, enforcement has been weak. Sweden's gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, aware of these violations, may take legal actions similar to recent crackdowns on illegal gambling. Norway has also acted against unlicensed gambling promotions on social media.

• March 8, 2024: The UK Gambling Commission and Sweden's Spelinspektionen extend their information-sharing agreement. Building on their partnership since November 2019, they will collaborate further to enhance gambling regulation.

• March 4, 2024: Licensed gambling revenue drops 1.2% to SEK27.13bn in 2023. Online gambling revenue, accounting for SEK17.03bn, decreased by 0.7% compared to the previous year, contrary to the 6.0% growth seen in 2022.

• January 25, 2024: Due to financial challenges, Svenska Spel plans to close its Casino Cosmopol establishments in Gothenburg and Malmö, leaving only one casino in Stockholm. This decision may impact approximately 200 jobs.

• October 16, 2023: Spiffbet has broadened its reach in Sweden by introducing a new online casino brand called Supersnabbt.se. This platform is explicitly tailored for Swedish players and offers various online casino games and services.

• September 21, 2023: The Swedish government proposes raising the gambling tax rate from 18% to 22% of gross gaming revenue (GGR). If passed, the new tax rate will take effect starting July 1, 2024.