The government expects proposals to toughen measures against unlicensed gambling.

Sweden.- The Swedish government has commenced its review of the country’s Gambling Act as it considers options for tougher measures against unlicensed gambling operators. The government has appointed Marcus Isgren, chairman and head of the Swedish Board of Consumer Complaints (ARN) as investigator. 

The Gambling Act of 2018 established the framework for the regulation of competitive online gambling in Sweden from January 2019. However, studies have suggested that player protection measures have been insufficient, while the wording has also allowed some unlicensed gaming operators to go unchallenged. Isgren must deliver a report by September 17.

Marcus Isgren. Source: ARN

Sweden’s licensed gambling operators will hope to have Isgren’s ear as he begins the review. The online gambling industry association Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) has called for the government to close what it describes as loopholes in the 2018 Gambling Act that prevent action against unlicensed operators that don’t use the Swedish language or currency.

This month, a Swedish court quashed an injunction issued by the national gambling regulator Spelinspektionen against the payment provider Zimpler due to a lack of “concreteness” in the definition of illegal gambling offerings. It noted that the wording of the Gambling Act states that operators are only deemed to be targeting Swedish players if they use the Swedish language or list the Swedish Krona.

Launching the review, Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman said that clamping down on the black market would be a priority for the review. 

“We will do this by amending the Gambling Act so that it becomes more appropriate. This is one of the single most important measures for a safer and healthier gambling market,” he said. 

Gustaf Hoffstedt, BOS’s secretary general, wrote today: “We have advocated for an amendment to the Gambling Act in this regard ever since the reregulation of the Swedish gambling market in 2019. It became apparent fairly immediately after the reregulation that the licensed gambling market was leaking like a sieve. This was partly because many unlicensed gambling companies were able to continue to accept Swedish gambling customers.”  

Gambling revenue in Sweden rose by 2.65 per cent year-on-year in 2024. Spelinspektionen’s latest data from October 2024 suggests that the rate of channelisation in Sweden was 86 per cent in 2023. However, research by the horse racing betting operator ATG suggests the channelisation rate could be as low as 70 per cent.