🇸🇪Sweden gambling regulation

Legal framework at a glance

Before 2019, Swedish gambling was dominated by the state-owned Svenska Spel, the horse-racing operator ATG and charitable lotteries, while foreign online operators, many founded by Swedes and licensed in Malta, served a large share of the online market without Swedish permission. Re-regulation was designed to bring that activity inside Swedish law.

Sweden replaced its state-dominated model with a licensing system under the Gambling Act (Spellagen, SFS 2018:1138), adopted in 2018 and in force from 1 January 2019. The law created separate licence categories for commercial online gambling, betting, state games and charity lotteries, and introduced strong consumer protections, including the Spelpaus.se register.

The state retains a significant role through Svenska Spel, which runs the state lottery and number games and also competes in the licensed online market through a separate subsidiary.

Item	Position (October 2026)
Regulator	Spelinspektionen
Online casino, betting, poker	Licensed
Lotteries	Reserved to the state and non-profit organisations
Land-based casinos	Reserved to the state
Self-exclusion	Spelpaus.se national register

The regulator

Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority, issues licences, supervises operators and enforces the law. From 1 January 2026 it gained expanded enforcement and penalty powers, including wider authority to impose sanctions and revoke licences. It also runs Spelpaus.se, supervises operators’ anti-money laundering obligations, works against match-fixing with sports bodies and the police, and publishes its sanction decisions and the list of licence holders.

Licensing

The main licence types for private operators are commercial online gambling (casino and online games) and betting. Licences are granted for up to five years. A new fee regulation took effect on 1 March 2026: an annual supervision fee of SEK 240,000 per B2C licence, charged per licence, so an operator with both a casino and a betting licence pays twice. Suppliers of gaming software have needed their own licence since 2023. See B2B supplier licensing.

Online products — what is and isn’t legal

Online casino, slots, sports betting and poker are legal through licensed operators. Lotteries are reserved to the state and to licensed non-profit organisations. Betting on events involving under-18s, and on certain match events, is restricted. Operators must not accept payment from players before identity is verified.

Taxation

Licensed commercial online gambling and betting are taxed at 22% of gross gaming revenue, up from 18% on 1 July 2024. Players do not pay tax on winnings from licensed operators within the EU/EEA. See gambling taxation compared.

Advertising and marketing rules

Marketing must show “moderation” (måttfullhet), may not target under-18s, and must include an age limit and information about Stödlinjen. Operators may offer a bonus only on the first occasion a player gambles with them, which has kept Sweden’s bonus market far smaller than elsewhere. Excluded players must not receive direct marketing. See bonus and promotion restrictions.

Player-protection requirements

• Deposit limits: players must set a deposit limit before playing online casino.
• Duty of care: operators must monitor players and intervene when play becomes risky.
• Spelpaus.se: must be checked before any gambling.
• Credit ban: from 1 April 2026, licensed operators may not process payments funded by credit cards, overdrafts, personal loans or buy-now-pay-later products.

Enforcement against unlicensed operators

Spelinspektionen can order payment blocks and issue injunctions against unlicensed operators targeting Swedes. Reforms in progress would repeal the “directional criterion”, which currently limits the law to sites that target the Swedish market, extending jurisdiction to any unlicensed remote operator accepting Swedish customers. See payment blocking and ISP blocking.

What this means for players

Sweden’s model gives players a set of protections that are unusual by international standards. You must set a deposit limit before playing online casino, you will receive only one bonus per operator (at first sign-up), and a Spelpaus.se exclusion cannot be undone early, even if you change your mind. Licensed operators must also give you information about your play, including how much you have won or lost.

To check that a site is licensed, look for it on Spelinspektionen’s list of licence holders; licensed sites must also show quick links to Spelpaus.se, to your limit settings and to a self-test on their gaming pages. Sites without a Swedish licence are not bound by any of these rules, and the payment-blocking and directional-criterion debates are largely about how to stop Swedish players drifting to them. If a licensed operator treats you unfairly, complain to the operator first; some consumer disputes can then be taken to Allmänna reklamationsnämnden (the National Board for Consumer Disputes). See how to file a complaint against a gambling operator.

Recent developments and what to watch

• Directional criterion repeal: timing still to be confirmed.
• Riksdag review: proposals covering land-based enforcement, higher-risk products such as slots, and centralised duty-of-care controls are still under consideration.
• Spelpaus.se: a 10-day option was added in 2026, alongside the longer periods.
• Leadership: an interim director general led Spelinspektionen in early 2026, pending a permanent appointment.

For practical help, see self-exclusion in Sweden and Swedish support services.