Sweden Gambling Laws
Sweden is a Scandinavian Nordic country located in Northern Europe and is the third-largest EU member-state. It’s divided into twenty-one counties and 290 municipalities, with a population of 10.2 million. The capital city of Stockholm is also the best for gaming – with three casinos offering poker rooms and hundreds of slots, table games, and video poker machines.
While gambling online in Sweden has been legal for some time – both at land-based casinos and online Swedish gambling sites – a new Gambling Act was passed in June 2018 and went into effect on Jan 1, 2019. Officials hope these new regulations reduce the use of unlicensed online operators, keeping more of the profits at home and taxable.
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Gambling in Sweden is legal as long as the sites where you are playing are licensed by the official national body which is Spelinspektionen, also known as The Gaming Inspectorate. It is fully responsible for the business with gambling in Sweden. Gambling is legal in Sweden. For purchasing lottery tickets, playing slot machines, and gambling online, the min age is 18. You can see many forms of gambling in local bars or on ferries in the form of slot machines, or blackjack. What Are the Gambling Laws in Sweden? Traditionally, Sweden has been very tough with laws about gambling. Like many other countries, the reason for the strict stance is to help protect the country’s citizens from potential gambling addictions. However, the country has developed laws over the years making it legal for residents of the country.
We’ll analyze Sweden’s new laws in later sections, but it’s important to highlight that while these regulations may incentivize the use of locally licensed Swedish gambling sites, they do not criminalize the use of offshore options. Instead, the new rules mostly focus on gambling website operators and banking institutions, who they hope will block transactions to foreign domains.
This means you’ll still be able to turn to Swedish gambling sites which are licensed in other jurisdictions to find any markets unavailable within the country. However, doing so requires taking some calculated risks. Offshore sites offer far fewer consumer protections to gamblers, meaning you must make intelligent decisions concerning which foreign website(s) to use.
Why Are These Sites Recommended?
Our team of gaming experts has determined the Swedish gambling sites included in our list of recommendations to be the very best. We carefully research and review every potential recommendation based on a range of metrics which give us excellent insight into the quality of these operations. Thus, we can guarantee a top-notch gaming experience to all of the readers who use our lists.
We won’t bother you with every single variable and detail that goes into our comprehensive review process, but there are some specific qualities that all of our recommend share. Our team can confidently promise that any Swedish gambling sites found at LegitGamblingSites.com will always meet the following basic standards.
Legitimacy, Reliability, and Safety
When reviewing gambling sites in Sweden (or any other jurisdiction), there is no aspect more significant than legitimacy. Ensuring that all of our recommended Swedish gambling sites are safe and secure is our highest priority because the offshore gaming industry is plagued by scammers and unethical operators hoping to profit off novice gamblers’ lack of experience and knowledge.
Web-based gambling generates tens of billions of dollars per year in revenue, which attracts thieves and their very real-looking scam sites from every corner of the internet. Our team of experts is dedicated to identifying and blacklisting every rogue operation and selecting nothing but trustworthy online Swedish gambling websites to share with our readers.
Ease of Use
Sure, safety and reliability are the top priorities, but we also take numerous factors into account that merely affect the customer experience. For example, we study how easy a Swedish gambling site is to navigate, place bets on, and use with mobile devices.
Website design and navigation are particularly crucial for locations offering sports betting since there are time constraints caused by the odds coming off the board at the start of game time. Being able to locate and place a wager quickly will minimize – if not outright avoid – the frustration of missing your window to bet.
Friendly and Fair to Winners
Another focus of our efforts is ensuring that the Swedish gambling sites we approve are honest and fair in their treatment of winning gamblers. There’s a terrible trend in online gaming involving operators using outrageous claims and practices to cancel or reverse successful wagers.
We’ve seen website admins levy accusations of players cheating or being professional gamblers and then use these charges to rationalize voiding the bets. Our team works diligently to avoid sharing such domains. If you’re not allowed to be successful, what’s the point?
Valuable Bonuses and Loyalty Rewards
Lucrative deposit bonuses have become commonplace in the internet-based gambling industry. We even include them in our list of Swedish gambling site recommendations. Gaming providers gift new customers with free money early on, allowing novice players to test things out without dipping into their own bankroll. Lots of locations offer to match 100% or more of your first deposit, significantly increasing the size of your account before you ever place a single wager!
Loyalty rewards programs bring additional value to the table. After developing some fairly consistent gambling habits, your site will start awarding points and/or tiers that will determine the types of prizes available to you. These levels or point systems can be used to earn cash back to erase some of your losses or give you merchandise, free meals, gift cards, or anything else.
Is Gambling Legal in Sweden?
Yes, gambling is legal in Sweden, both at land-based locations and Swedish gambling sites. This includes casino games, sports betting, lotteries, bingo, poker, horse racing, slots, and other terminal-based machines.
The country’s central regulatory entity is the Swedish Gambling Authority. Responding to pressure both from local gaming operators and the EU Commission, Sweden passed a transformative new gambling law in late 2018, which went into effect in early 2019. This new set of regulations introduced six new licenses, set new limits on bonuses, enacted greater consumer protections, and ended the monopoly on online gambling.
While the old rules allowed Svenska Spel to be the sole licensed online operator, the monopoly caused friction with major players in the gambling industry, who believed it violated the EU treaty. Despite Sweden consistently receiving favorable rulings from the European Court of Justice, the government realized the statutes needed an upgrade.
Svenska Spel’s monopoly may have meant that there was only one online gaming operator with a Swedish license; there were no laws against citizens utilizing offshore gambling websites. As a result, the country saw significant sums of money crossing over its borders into jurisdictions like Malta, Cyprus, and Gibraltar.
These new regulations will allow private commercial operators to apply for Swedish licenses and lawfully service the nation’s residents. As a result of these legal pathways given to foreign site-owners, allowing them to offer action in Sweden, increased efforts are being made to prohibit unlicensed domains.
The Six New Types of License
- State-Owned/Monopolized License – Only state-owned providers like Svenska Spel are qualified for this permit that will regulate casino games, slots, and some lottery variations.
- Public Purpose License – This license is available to non-profit organizations exclusively and only allows for certain types of lotteries.
- Commercial Online Gaming License – This Swedish online gambling license allows private, commercial entities to legally offer casino games, slots, and bingo to Swedes online.
- Betting License – This license covers both offline and online sports betting in Sweden and is available to all commercial operators that meet the qualifications and apply for a permit.
- Commercial Land-Based Gaming License – Any qualified gaming corporation may apply for this license, which allows them to provide slot machines and card games in non-casino facilities like betting parlors.
- Cruise Ship Gaming License – Ships floating on international waters may apply for this license, giving them the right to operate casino games and slots onboard their vessels.
As for continuing to use offshore Swedish gambling websites in spite of the new statutes, it’s still possible for now but may become more challenging in the near future. Using unlicensed operators is not a criminal offense; however, several sections of the new bill address restrictions that Sweden is planning to impose on them.
While the individual gambler has nothing to worry about, the law plans to stop banking institutions from allowing transactions between Swedish citizens and illegal offshore gambling sites. It’s also possible that local internet service providers will eventually be tasked with blocking access to the unlicensed domains.
Sweden’s Primary Gaming Regulations
- Swedish Gambling Act (2018)
- Swedish Gambling Tax Act (2018)
- Gambling Ordinance (2018)
- Regulations on license applications (2018)
- Regulations and advice on responsible gambling (2018)
- Regulations on exceptions from registration requirements (2018)
- Regulations and advice on state lottery and lottery for good causes (2018)
- Regulations and advice on commercial gambling and betting (2018)
- Regulations and advice on land-based commercial gambling (2018)
- Regulations and advice on gambling on ships in international waters (2018)
- Regulations and advice on technical requirements and the accreditation of bodies to test, inspect, and certify gaming operations (2018)
- Swedish Money Laundering Act (2017)
- Swedish Gambling Authority’s regulations and advice on the prevention of money laundering and financing terrorism (2017)
- Swedish Act on Payment Services (2010)
- Swedish Marketing Law (2008)
- Swedish Distance and Doorstep Act (2005)
- Swedish Consumer Services Act (1985)
Sweden’s History with Gambling
Sweden began accepting licensing applications for the new regulations in August of 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is gambling legal in Sweden?
Yes, all forms of gambling are legal in Sweden. As of January 2019, there are six available licenses covering the full range of gaming activities for private commercial businesses, state-owned operators, non-profit organizations, and cruise ships.
What are the risks involved with using an unlicensed gambling website from within Sweden’s borders?
Besides the potential dangers of using an unvetted, unlicensed site, there are no legal risks involved with using offshore gambling sites in Sweden. However, following the implementation of the new Gambling Act and related licensing regime, the gaming authorities may explore blocking the unlicensed domains and barring banking institutions from processing transactions between account holders and illegal gambling sites.
How will the gambling markets be divided amongst state-owned and private operators?
Online casinos and sports betting will be open to both domestic and offshore private commercial businesses.
Land-based casinos and gaming machines will remain under the government monopoly.
Lotteries and bingo will belong to non-profit operators for the purposes of fundraising.
Does Sweden tax winnings from gambling?
Yes, the new Gambling Act applies a flat 18% tax on gross earnings for all licensed gaming activities.
What are the age requirements for gambling in Sweden?
One must be 18 years of age to play with licensed operators online and at least 21 to enter land-based establishments.
Who licenses the regulated and legal online gambling sites in Sweden?
The Swedish Gambling Authority is responsible for licensing and supervising all six of the country’s legal markets.
Can I access one EU country’s legal online gambling site from Sweden?
Yes. For years, Swedish gamblers have turned to site operators in Gibraltar, Cyprus, and Malta for gambling activities not provided by the monopoly. With the new Gambling Act in place, licensed foreign websites may eventually be blocked, but there are no punishments for citizens who choose to continue visiting offshore providers.
The Swedish Riksdag approved a new Gambling Act which allows for licensing policies for international gaming operators. The regulations include application fees, as well as a wide-ranging new responsibilities for the Swedish Gambling Authority.
The full text of the Swedish Gambling Act 2018 is expected to be posted on Sweden’s government’s website on July 24. Application document forms will be posted, alongside guidelines for the gaming operators. Operators can begin to apply for licenses on August 1. Preliminary regulations and guidelines go into effect on September 1.
The full weight of the new Gambling Law becomes effective on January 1, 2019. The government rolled out its draft legislation for the more liberalized Swedish gambling laws in December 2017. It has taken several months of negotiation and refinement to nail down the final draft of the Gambling Act.
At the time, Ardalan Shekarabi, the Swedish Minister for Public Administration, said of the proposed new regulations: “We are now proposing legislation entailing that operators receiving a licence to conduct activities targeting Swedish consumers must comply with Swedish rules. This will also give us the tools to keep those without a licence out.”
“I am pleased that there is broad political consensus on the need for these reforms. We now need to continue our efforts and review the conditions for the equine industry and sports movement, both of which play an extremely important role in Swedish society.”
Swedish Gambling Act 2018
Sweden Gambling Laws 2019
Under the new law, the Swedish government will maintain control over the major lotteries, land-based casinos, and even gaming machines located in brick-and-mortar gaming venues outside casinos. At the same time, the new law allows for liberalization of online gambling, so domestic and international operators can apply for a license to register Swedish players at online casinos, poker sites, bingo sites, sportsbooks, and virtual sportsbooks.
The new gambling act sets an 18% tax on online gambling activities. Swedish gaming operators said the tax level should allow them to compete with offshore operators. In the underground online gambling economy, offshore operators pay no taxes, so they can undercut the prices and promotions of legal online gambling sites.
Banning Unlicensed Sites thru IP Addresses?
Sweden Gambling Laws Definition
The incentive for offshore operators to sign up for a license and pay taxes should be considerable — at least for those who are farsighted. Several European countries have passed laws that would require Internet service providers to block unlicensed offshore operators who try to circumvent gambling laws.
The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Norway all have taken steps in that direction over the past few months. While Sweden has no such provisions in the Gambling Act of 2018, such a law would be a natural addendum, if those laws prove effective in other countries and offshore operators continue to skirt Swedish law.
In such a case, those who operated as bad actors in the coming months could find themselves banned, while those who might have been unlicensed operators in the Swedish market in the past — but who have followed the law during the current grace period — would be allowed to continue signing up players. In short, the 18% tax puts all operators on the same level, so long as the law can bar unlicensed operators who do not pay the gaming tax.
2018 Swedish Gambling Law
On July 5, the Swedish government plans to authorize the Gambling Regulation, which covers certain policies not included in the Gambling Act. The Gambling Regulations spell out greater details about license application fees, along with the specific powers of the Swedish Gambling Authority.
Sweden Gambling Laws Against
The new laws and regulations seemingly bring to an end years of dispute between the Swedish government and the EU Commission over the nature of Sweden’s gaming laws. For years, the European Union’s top panel has said Swedish gambling laws circumvent EU trade laws.
Sweden Gambling Laws
In those years, Sweden’s government allowed domestic Swedish companies to operate, while barring international offshore gaming sites from signing up Swedish players. EU trade laws allow a national government to ban activities, but if it bars international companies from such activities, it must do the same for its own domestic companies. In the eyes of EU Commission members, if Sweden allows Swedish gaming companies access, but bars international gaming companies, it amounts to protectionism.
Sweden Gambling Laws 2020
Ardalan Shekarabi on Gambling Act
Not so, according to Ardalan Shekarabi, the Swedish Minister for Public Administration. Shekarabi framed the new law as a way for the Swedish government to establish greater authority over its own gaming market.
Shekarabi said the Gambling Act allows the government to “regain control of the Swedish gambling market.”
Ardalan Sherakabi also noted that match-fixing was a perennial problem which is addressed in the Swedish Gambling Act. Sherakabi said, “Gambling activities must be conducted in a sound and safe way, subject to public supervision. This means gambling services must have a high level of consumer protection and safety, and that gambling services are not used to support criminal activities. Match fixing has no place in Swedish sport and must be stopped.”