Sweden
Thanks to a wide choice of betting apps and sound regulations, sports gambling is easy and safe in Sweden. Check the complete list of sportsbook operators below.
🇸🇪 Legal sports betting apps in 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
| Is online sports betting legal in Sweden? | Yes |
| Is in-person sports betting legal? | Yes |
| Is daily fantasy sports legal? | Yes |
| Is horse racing betting legal? | Yes |
| Is political betting legal? | Yes |
| Is eSports betting legal? | Yes |
| How many legal sports betting apps are there in Sweden? | 30+ |
| Legal age for sports betting in Sweden? | 18+ |
| Sweden's tax rate for betting/gambling winnings | 0% |
| Who regulates sports betting in Sweden? | The Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) |
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
June 21, 2024: Spelinspektionen issues a ban against MRSL NV, a Curacao-based operator behind the MrSloty, an online casino and sportsbook, for operating in the Swedish market without a proper license.
June 19, 2024: The Administrative Court of Linköping reduces the original fine Spelinspektionen assessed to two of bet365's Swedish subsidiaries, Hillside Sports and Hillside Gaming, from SEK79 million ($7.57 million) to SEK44 million ($4.2 million).
May 31, 2024: The Swedish Court of Appeal lowers Mr Green's penalty fine to SEK 12 million ($1.14 million). The original fine Spelinspektionen issued for the operator in 2021 stood at SEK 30 million ($2.85 million).
May 3, 2024: Swedish lawmakers disclose new measures to maintain the integrity of sports betting and combat against match-fixing. These measures include, for example, a new information-sharing system that will allow sports betting operators, as well as sports leagues and regulators themselves, to identify all sorts of betting fraud in the market.
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.
All legal gambling options in Sweden
| Are online casinos legal in Sweden? | Yes |
| Are retail casinos legal? | Yes |
| Are social casinos legal? | Yes |
| Is online poker legal? | Yes |
| Is the lottery legal? | Yes |
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
June 19, 2024: Sweden's state-owned operator Svenska Spel announces it will start reporting "healthy" revenue data, meaning the company will begin disclosing how big of a revenue share it draws from low-risk customers.
June 19, 2024: Spelinspektionen announces four new banned online gambling operators for providing their games to the Swedish public without operational licenses. The banned operators are Gamevio, Santeda International, Samiland, and Bigskin Trading.
May 29, 2024: According to the Copenhagen Economics (CE) study, the soon-to-happen gambling tax increase from 18% to 22% can also increase Sweden's black market share and problem gambling-related issues. The report predicts the legal channelization rate to fall between 1.2% and 2.5%.
May 28, 2024: Sweden's Administrative Court revokes the cease order the Spelinspektionen issued against payment solutions provider Zimpler in July 2023. Back then, the gambling regulator ordered Zimpler to stop providing its BankID payment solution to online casinos and other gambling sites operating without a Swedish license.
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.
Sweden - Some commonly asked questions (FAQ)
What is the current legal status of sports betting in Sweden?
The Swedish gambling market operates with a licensing system, meaning that all legal sportsbooks wishing to operate in Sweden must hold a proper license. Online casino gaming and betting on sports on such platforms are thus perfectly legal.
How much tax income does Sweden receive from the legal gambling market?
According to the latest report from the Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen, licensed gambling revenue in Sweden totaled SEK 27.13bn ($2.63bn) in 2023. With an 18% tax on GGR, this accumulated around SEK 4.88bn ($460M) in taxes.
How much do Swedish people gamble?
Each Swede spends approximately €300 ($321) annually on gambling, including all types of games. According to the data, most of this spending happens among online casinos. With such figures, the Swedish gambling market is valued at around €3bn yearly.
What are the most popular sports in Sweden?
As with almost all European countries, soccer holds the top sports spot in Sweden in terms of overall popularity, with ice hockey and floorball following it. Winter sports, such as cross-country skiing and biathlon, are also very popular in the country.
