Swedish gambling revenue continues to rise
Online gaming and sports betting drove a 5.1 per cent rise in gambling revenue in the second quarter of 2026.
Sweden.- Licensed gambling operators in Sweden generated a combined turnover of SEK7.4bn (€669m) in the second quarter of 2026, according to figures published by regulator Spelinspektionen. The total, defined as stakes minus winnings paid out, represented a 5.1 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Online gaming and sports betting accounted for the bulk of revenue, generating SEK4.96bn, which was slightly more than 7 per cent higher year on year. State-run lotteries and slot machine games contributed SEK1.43bn, showing little change from Q2 2025. Games operated for public benefit, including lotteries and bingo, produced SEK863m in turnover, with bingo steady at around SEK51m.
Land-based commercial gambling, primarily gaming machines in restaurants, generated SEK73m, a rise of nearly 13 per cent compared with SEK64m in the same quarter last year. Following the closure of Svenska Spel’s final Casino Cosmopol venue in April 2025, there was negligible turnover in the land-based casino segment.
The regulator reported that participation in Sweden’s national self-exclusion register, Spelpaus, fell slightly by 0.7 per cent compared with the previous quarter, leaving just under 138,000 individuals registered by the end of June. In April, Spelinspektionen introduced new technical requirements for operators connecting to Spelpaus, including unique IDs and stricter verification protocols. The system, launched in 2019, came under scrutiny last year after a documentary alleged a data breach.
As for the unlicensed sector, Spelinspektionen reported that 2,186 gambling websites without Swedish licences were active as of April 30. The regulator said that influencers continue to play a significant role in promoting unlicensed online gambling to Swedish consumers. Previous reports had already flagged affiliate networks and link farms redirecting traffic to unlicensed casinos as a major concern, particularly given their reliance on influencer marketing.
Channelisation for online gambling is estimated to have slipped by 1 per cent in 2025 to 84 per cent, cementing a gradual decline from 86 per cent in 2023 and 85 per cent in 2024.
