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1. Market overview
Where the market sits, who runs it and under what law.
Gambling business in Sweden
Sweden is known as one of the most liberal countries in Europe. Democratic laws also apply in the area of gambling. Most gambling in the country is legal both in land-based establishments and with specialized internet resources. Citizens have the right to enter land casinos from the age of 20, and online casinos from the age of 18. According to the Swedish Ministry of Health, most adults have gambled at least once in their lives. On average, the industry earns more than 40 billion kronor annually. There are 4 land-based casinos in Sweden and slot machines can be found almost everywhere.
Swedish gambling legislation
Gaming was legalized in Sweden relatively recently: in 1999. Prior to that, only lotteries had legal status in the country. Currently, there is not a single normative act in the country that regulates all gambling. Work is currently underway to draft a law that will meet EU requirements.
The following land-based casinos are currently operating in the country:
- Casino Cosmopol Gothenburg;
- Casino Cosmopol Malmo;
- Casino Cosmopol Stockholm;
- Casino Cosmopol Sundsvall.
In addition, players can play Baltic Princess cruise ship floating casino. Under Swedish law, slot machines can be placed outside the casino. They are installed in public places: in supermarkets, at some stops of public transport, etc. In accordance with the restrictions established by the Law of 1995, gaming machines may not be placed in the immediate vicinity of educational institutions. Swedish law prohibits minors from playing.
Regulators and licenses
The country has a state monopoly on gambling. Thus, the only licensed operator is Svenska Spel. It is a state-owned company that organizes bingo, poker and lotteries, and its subsidiary Casino Cosmopol AB owns all land.
The gambling business is regulated by the Swedish National Gambling Association (Spelbranschens Riksorganisation). Initially, it was an organization that dealt with the ethical issues of gambling, and later expanded its powers.
Online gambling in Sweden
As a member of the European Union, Sweden cannot prevent the distribution of goods or services permitted in the European Union. Players have no restrictions on foreign sites about the game. The official sites of casinos in Sweden have very serious requirements for players. For example, the user must specify the amount they want to spend on games during the week. After the expiration of this limit, entry to the casino is prohibited.
The most popular gaming resource in the country still remains the site of the state operator Svenska Spel. In second place is the international betting service bet365. The ranking of the 3 most popular online casinos in Sweden looks like this:
- Maria Casino;
- Casumo;
- Vera John.
Popular slot machines
According to statistics, slot machines in Sweden are popular mainly among older players. According to Casino Maria, the following slots are the most popular in Sweden:
- Starburst;
- Dead or Alive;
- Mega Fortune Dreams;
- Reel Steal;
- Jungle Spirit;
- Warlords;
- Wild Turkey.
Developers of Swedish gaming software
When it comes to Swedish development companies, of course, NetEnt was the first to operate in 1996 and is now one of the most popular in Europe and beyond. The manufacturer's portfolio includes more than a hundred games. The company is distinguished by a non-standard approach to the selection of items. NetEnt slots are recognizable and original. Almost all of them have a themed bonus game. The most popular games of the developer include the following:
- Blood Suckers;
- Crime Scene;
- Dead or Alive;
- Evolution;
- Guns N ’Roses;
- Starburst.
The company is currently operating under a Maltese license. Its offices are located in many countries around the world, including Canada, Ukraine and others. NetEnt has won several prestigious gaming awards and in 2016 became the leading operator of UK sports circles.
- Region
- Europe
- Legal status of gambling
- State monopoly
- National regulator
- Svenska Spel (the state monopoly operator), overseen by the Swedish National Gambling Association (Spelbranschens Riksorganisation), per the source. No single normative act governed all forms of gambling at the time of the source, and work was underway on EU-compliant legislation.
- Regulator website
- Under verification
- Key legislation
- Gaming was legalised generally in 1999 (lotteries alone had previously had legal status); a 1995 law restricts gaming-machine placement.
- Minimum player age
- Under verification
2. Allowed verticals
What may be offered, and whether it needs a licence.
| Vertical | Status | Licence required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land-based casino | Permitted with a licence | Yes | State monopoly; 4 Casino Cosmopol venues (Gothenburg, Malmö, Stockholm, Sundsvall), run by Svenska Spel's subsidiary Casino Cosmopol AB, plus a floating casino aboard the Baltic Princess cruise ship. |
| Slots / gaming halls | Permitted | No | Placed outside casinos in public locations (e.g. supermarkets, transit stops), subject to the 1995 law's restriction against siting near educational institutions. |
| Lottery | Permitted with a licence | Yes | The only form of gambling with legal status before 1999; now run directly by the state monopoly Svenska Spel. |
| Poker | Permitted with a licence | Yes | Organised directly by Svenska Spel. |
| Bingo | Permitted with a licence | Yes | Organised directly by Svenska Spel. |
| Online casino | Restricted | No | As an EU member, Sweden cannot block foreign EU-licensed sites from reaching Swedish players, so residents face no domestic restriction on using foreign online casinos. The state operator Svenska Spel's own site remained the most-used gambling platform in the country at the time of the source. |
3. Licensing framework
What a licence is, what it costs and what the holder must have in country.
- B2C licensing
- Monopoly — Svenska Spel is the only licensed operator, running bingo, poker and lotteries directly and land-based casinos through its subsidiary Casino Cosmopol AB.
- B2B licensing
- Under verification
- Licence term
- Under verification
- Application fee
- Under verification
- Annual fee
- Under verification
- Local presence required
- Under verification
- Share capital required
- Under verification
5. Technical requirements and compliance
What has to be certified, recorded and kept inside the border.
- Certification and game testing
- Under verification
- Responsible gambling
- Minors may not gamble; the legal age is 20 to enter a land-based casino and 18 for online casinos, per the source. Gaming machines may not be sited near educational institutions (1995 law). Official Swedish-licensed casino sites require players to set a weekly spending limit, after which entry is blocked until it resets.
- AML regime
- Under verification
- AML and KYC
- Under verification
- Server and data localisation
- Under verification
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Planning to enter Sweden?
A regulatory assessment reads Sweden's regime against your own products, licence class and corporate structure, and says what follows for each: what you may offer, what you must hold, what it costs and what will change.
Who wrote this
- Last reviewed
Regulatory Intelligence disclaimer
Information is provided for general regulatory intelligence purposes and should not be treated as legal advice for a specific transaction or business model. Regulatory requirements may change and should be confirmed before market entry or implementation.