Online Gambling in Sweden: How Illegal Operators Bypass the Law

According to a report by the Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen, in 2024 86% of the online gambling market in Sweden was controlled by licensed companies. However, the illegal segment still maintains a significant presence.

Who are the illegal operators

Analysis shows that 45% of the traffic to illegal sites comes from platforms registered in Curacao and Anjouan — jurisdictions known for having low requirements for operators.

Additionally, 41% of the traffic is related to skin betting — bets on in-game items, often without any connection to real money.

Why players choose illegal platforms

• 19% of users are attracted by bonus offers
• 13% of players choose such sites because they can use cryptocurrency for deposits

Why Spelinspektionen Cannot Stop the Illegal Market

Currently, the regulator does not have the technical authority to block domains, websites, or process payments. It can only act on resources targeted at Swedish users — with Swedish language, advertising, and interfaces adapted for the country.

This is known as the “targeting criterion”. However, Spelinspektionen proposes switching to the “participation perspective”, under which any online game originating from Sweden should fall under local jurisdiction, regardless of the website’s target audience.

“Despite the limitations, we see results in cases where we can intervene. Therefore, we continue working to combat illegal gambling even during the review of the legislation,” said Spelinspektionen CEO Camilla Rosenberg.

What Other Countries Are Doing

The report also mentions that other countries have already implemented stricter measures: blocking payments, domains, and collaborating with internet service providers. Some of these approaches could also be useful for Sweden.