Is online gambling legal in Sweden?

Winnings from licensed sites are tax-free. Playing on an unlicensed site is not an offence for you, but winnings from it are taxed as capital income, and Spelinspektionen warns that it may be hard to get help from Swedish authorities in a dispute.

1. 1SIFS 2020:2 consolidated incl. SIFS 2024:3 (limits on betting to counter match-fixing, PDF)
2. 2spelinspektionen.se
3. 3Spelinspektionen: Onlinekasino (page for players)
4. 4LIFS 2018:5 Lotteriinspektionens föreskrifter och allmänna råd om kommersiellt onlinespel och vadhållning (PDF)
5. 5Spelinspektionen: Lotteri (page for players)

Gambling with crypto: Not on licensed sites: Spelinspektionen says Swedish-licensed operators cannot offer gambling with cryptocurrency, because stakes must be stated in Swedish kronor (LIFS 2018:2 18 §; its reports of 31 October 2023 and 30 April 2024). Payments into a licensed player account may come only from a payment service provider under the Payment Services Act.

You must be 18 to gamble online in Sweden, for online casino, sports betting and lottery alike. 18 for all licensed gambling, online and land-based, and the age must be verifiable. Land-based: the state casino licence ended on 1 January 2026; commercial restaurant-casino licences remain.

Winnings from lotteries and betting with a Spelinspektionen-licensed operator are tax-free, with no amount limit. Winnings from an unlicensed operator that serves Sweden fall outside that exemption and are taxed as capital income: a win over SEK 100 counts, you declare the year’s winnings minus your stakes with that operator, and the rate is 30%. Spelinspektionen warns that not declaring them can be a tax offence.

Rate: 0% on winnings from licensed operators

The regulator's register lists 85 online licence holders in Sweden (read 5 Nov 2026).

Always verify a casino holds a valid Spelinspektionen licence before depositing. Check the official register before signing up.

The official register of licensed sitesSpelinspektionen's website

Prominent operators in Sweden

If a site isn't on the regulator's licensee register, ask the regulator before you play: an unlisted site is usually not licensed here (a register can lag behind a new licence). An unlicensed site is outside the regulator's supervision, so you cannot complain to the regulator about it.

• ✓
  Check for the Spelinspektionen logo

  A licensed site must show the regulator’s logo, linked to Spelinspektionen’s site, clearly on its start page, with its company name, organisation number, telephone and e-mail. Check the operator in the licence register too.

• ✓
  Look for the Spelpaus.se link

  Licensed sites must link to the regulator’s self-exclusion page and keep responsible-gambling logos in a locked field at the top of every page, linking to the self-test, deposit and time limits and self-exclusion.

• ✓
  Confirm you must set a deposit limit

  A licensed site will not let you play until you have set a deposit limit per day, week and month. A raised limit only applies after at least 72 hours.

• ✓
  Expect a reliable identity check

  A licensed site must check your identity in a reliable way, by trustworthy electronic identification such as BankID or by identity documents, and identify you at each login.

• ✓
  Check for a helpline on the start page

  A licensed site must show the contact details of a helpline that is independent of the gambling business and can help in Swedish, for example Stödlinjen (020-81 91 00).

1. 1

   1. Contact the licensed operator

   A licence holder must have routines and staff for handling complaints and questions about its games. Start there.

2. 2

   2. Allmänna reklamationsnämnden (ARN)

   If the operator does not pay out money from your gaming account and you disagree, ARN, the public consumer disputes board, can examine the case. Filing costs SEK 150 and its decision is a recommendation; Spelinspektionen says most companies follow it.

   ARN
3. 3

   3. Konsumentverket or a tip to Spelinspektionen

   Complaints about marketing by licensed operators, or about contract terms that may be unfair, can go to Konsumentverket, the Consumer Agency; an individual dispute with the operator, such as a disputed payout, goes to ARN where it can examine it. You can tell Spelinspektionen that a licence holder is breaking the rules and it may use the tip in supervision, but it does not investigate individual disputes.

   Spelinspektionen: where to complain
4. 4

   4. Court action

   A binding outcome needs the general courts.

• Myth

  Any site that accepts Swedish players is licensed in Sweden.
  Reality

  Only sites licensed by Spelinspektionen are. You can check a site in the regulator’s licence register. On an unlicensed site your winnings may be taxable, Spelpaus.se does not apply, and Spelinspektionen warns it may be hard to get help from Swedish authorities in a dispute.

• Myth

  All my winnings are taxed at 22%.
  Reality

  The 22% gambling tax is paid by the operator on stakes minus payouts. Winnings from a Swedish-licensed operator are tax-free for you.

• Myth

  I can cancel my Spelpaus self-exclusion if I change my mind.
  Reality

  Once confirmed, a Spelpaus exclusion cannot be ended early. You choose 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or until further notice, which lasts at least 12 months.