Swedish gambling regulator names new board member
Joanna Hedqvist joins the board of Spelinspektionen as the government considers reforms to Swedish gambling legislation.
Sweden.- The Swedish government has appointed Councillor Joanna Hedqvist as a new member of the Board of the Swedish gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen. The appointment is valid from February 10 2026 until March 31 2028.
The Board will remain chaired by Claes Norgren, with Madelaine Tunudd and Therese Mattsson, Jenny Cisneros Örnberg, Urban Karlstrom and Johan Rohr continuing their roles as members. Fredrik Holmberg has left the board.
Spelinspektionen is responsible for regulating the gambling market in Sweden, focusing on consumer protection, fair play and responsible gambling. The new appointment comes as the government considers recommendations for amendments to the Swedish Gambling Act of 2019.
In November, the Swedish government appointed Erik Eldhagen as a new state secretary with responsibility for gambling regulation.
Meanwhile, the Swedish anti-money laundering authority, the AMLA, has opened consultations on three drafts of new regulatory technical standards (RTS). The first deals with sanction fees, administrative measures and fines with response deadline of March 9.
The second draft outlines criteria for identifying business relationships, occasional transactions and connected transactions. It has a response date of May 8. The same date is also the deadline for a consultation on customer due diligence.
All stakeholders can submit responses and. Views are particularly sought from the non-financial sector in the consultation on customer due diligence and supervisory measures.
New fees for Swedish gambling licences
Earlier this month, Spelinspektionen confirmed a revised framework for supervision fees from March 1, 2026. Regulation SIFS 2026:1 replaces the earlier SIFS 2024:4.
The new online casino and betting licence fee has been set SEK 240,000 (€22,680) per licence, per fee period. Operators holding both types must pay separately for each. Gambling software permits will cost SEK 16,500 (€1,300) per fee period.
Fees are charged per licence rather than per corporate group. Each fee period runs 12 months from the date a licence or permit is issued, renewing annually for as long as the licence remains valid. If a licence is shorter than a year, the fee is calculated proportionally, but never less than one-twelfth of the annual charge.
An annexe outlines fees for state lotteries, public benefit lotteries, bingo, land-based gaming venues (scaled by the number of premises) and ship-based gambling, which is charged at a fixed SEK 6,000 (€470) per vessel. The fee for land-based venues ranges from SEK 3,000 for up to three venues to SEK 850,000 for up to 100 locations.
For lotteries for public benefit purposes, fees range from SEK 15,000 (€1,175) for operators with turnover of up to SEK 3m to SEK 600,000 (€19,970) for those with turnover above SEK 1bn. Licences to offer bingo for public benefit purposes costs SEK 20,500 per venue, and temporary bingo licences cost SEK 1,000.
