Sweden

Sweden has run a licensed online gambling market since 2019, overseen by Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority. Operators obtain a commercial online gambling licence covering casino and betting, a standalone betting licence, or state and public-benefit lottery licences; a separate B2B software supply permit has been required since 2023. Tax sits at 22% of GGR, raised from 18% on 1 July 2024. The market's distinguishing recent move is a strict player-protection agenda: from April 2026 Sweden enforces a full ban on gambling on credit - described as the first complete credit ban in the EU - and the territorial scope of its licensing requirement is set to widen from 1 January 2027, tightening which operators must hold a Swedish licence to reach Swedish players. Enforcement against the supply chain is active: in September 2025 Spelinspektionen concluded cases against four B2B providers, issuing warnings and SEK 715,000 in penalties for supplying unlicensed sites, signalling that Sweden will pursue upstream suppliers as well as consumer-facing operators. Leadership changed in November 2025 with Johan Roehr appointed acting Director-General. For operators the Swedish market is stable and moderately taxed by regional standards, but the compliance bar is high and rising, with channelisation and unlicensed play a continuing policy concern. The combination of a credit ban, widening territorial reach and supplier-level enforcement makes Sweden a demanding but predictable jurisdiction focused increasingly on harm reduction.