Swedish gambling revenue rises despite channelisation concerns
Online casino and sports betting were the main drivers as Swedish online casino revenue continues to rise.
Sweden.- As the government begins a review of the Swedish Gambling Act, the national regulator Spelinspektionen has reported full-year market figures for 2024. Swedish gambling revenue rose by 2.65 per cent year-on-year to SEK27.85bn (€2.49bn).
Online gambling, including online casino and sports betting, was again the big driver. Here revenue rose by 5 per cent year-on-year to SEK17.84bn. State lottery revenue also climbed, up 2.2 per cent year-on-year to SEK5.72bn, while non-profit games and lotteries revenue rose by 2.6 per cent to SEK3.70bn.
Land-based commercial gaming, which includes restaurant casinos, rose by 4 per cent to SEK237m, but revenue from community games and bingo halls was down by 3.5 per cent at SEK196m. Unsurprisingly, revenue from land-based casinos fell significantly following the closure of two of Svenska Spel’s three Casino Cosmopol venues at the start of the year.
With only the flagship Stockholm casino remaining, revenue was down by 66.3 per cent year-on-year at SEK160m. The government of Sweden has proposed the closure of the last Casino Cosmopol land-based casino by January 1 2026, but the proposal has yet to be confirmed. For Q4, overall gaming revenue was up 7.6 per cent year-on-year at SEK7.61bn, the highest total of the year.
Investigator named for Swedish Gambling Act review
Meanwhile, the Swedish government has appointed Marcus Isgren, chairman and head of the Swedish Board of Consumer Complaints (ARN), as the investigator for the review of the country’s Gambling Act 2018.
The legislation 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. It’s expected that the government will propose tougher measures against unlicensed gambling operators.
