Best Swedish Betting Sites

Sweden is not only famous for its IKEA furniture, beautiful women and football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Scandinavian country is one of the world's leaders in the iGaming industry, as many casino providers and betting companies hail from Sverige.

Despite their wealthy population and love for sports betting, the Swedes' had gone through an extended period of being a grey market up until January 1, 2019. That date signaled the end of the betting monopoly of Svenska Spel and the opening of the licensing process for other operators too.

Best Betting Sites in Sweden

In this article, we will check out all the information relating to online gambling in Sweden. For this, we will check out licensed and offshore bookies that offer their services locally and inspect the legal aspects of each:

Sports Betting Sweden - 5 Things To Know

• 1
  Your winnings are not taxed
• 2
  All licensed betting sites are obliged to offer Bank ID as a payment method
• 3
  Betting shops in Sweden are operated by Svenska Spel
• 4
  All licensed bookmakers have to accept SEK
• 5
  Bettors are allowed only one bonus per bookmaker

General info

⏩Population: 10.060.000

⏩Active Players: 1.200.000

⏩Currency: Swedish Krona (SEK)

⏩Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, casino games, pool exchanges, poker, lottery, bingo

⏩Operator types: Online casinos, betting sites, land-based casinos, both state-run and international licensed ones

⏩Designated Authority: Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen)

⏩Status: Local licences are issued, for both sportsbook and online casinos to private operators

Betting in Sweden: The Bookmaker Environment

The Swedish betting sites landscape has already started shaping into a truly rich playground comprising both Swedish-owned brands like Unibet, Betsson and Leo Vegas, as well as global powerhouses like 888, Bwin and Bet365.

Players can still bet on unlicensed bookies though that accept bettors from Sweden, with the main advantage of them being the offering of 97%+ odds on major leagues plus competitive bonus offers.

Sweden Betting Sites License, Tax & Legislation Facts

The Swedish market is currently split into three branches: the state monopoly of Svenska Spel, the operators that have acquired a license to operate, and some international ones as well. Svenska Spel was officially established in 1997 when state-run Penninglotteriet and Tipstjänst were merged.

With 100 licenses having been issued so far to both sportsbook and online casino operators, Sweden is steadily becoming the second UK as far as strict regulations go. There are many types of licenses ranging from commercial online games, sportsbook, online casino, land-based casinos, state lottery and bingo.

The betting license fee stands at SEK400,000, while renewals are at SEK300,000. The post-regulation betting environment for bookmakers is strict enough, and penalties have already been issued due to failure to comply with bonus and marketing legislation, mostly targetting how the term “free” is used on bonuses and promotions.

Operators have to pay 18% tax on their net profit, and also have to clearly show players how much money they have won and lost upon login. Clear deposit limits and policies on self-exclusion have to be set by all Swedish betting sites holding a local license.

Important Player Info On Swedish Betting Companies

From a player’s standpoint, all licensed Swedish betting sites have to offer a fully-translated website, accept SEK as a currency, and are also obliged to provide Bank ID as a payment method.

Players should also know that as per the new 2019 Gambling Act, they are entitled to only one bonus per bookmaker. All gambling winnings are tax-free and the minimum legal gambling age is 20 years old.

Bookmakers that Exited the Swedish Market

Although the market is already boasting great variety, there are many well-known brands that decided not to apply for a license. GVC Group entered the region with only one of their brands, namely Bwin, while Ladbrokes and SportingBet were left out of the market. On the other hand, Paddy Power Betfair sealed its presence in the area by acquiring a license only for its Betfair brand. In general, all the big names opted out from offering betting without Swedish licence.

Payment Methods on Top SEK Betting Sites

As mentioned above, all licensed Swedish betting sites have to accept SEK, provide the BankID payment method, and that also has to be clearly indicated on the bookmaker’s registration form.

Apart from all the common international payments such as Visa, Mastercard, and ewallets like Skrill, Neteller & Ecopayz, it’s the variety in local payments that makes top SEK bookmakers stand out. Trustly is very popular in the region and now offers innovative products like Pay N Play, which lets you make any transaction on Swedish bookmakers even faster and simpler.

It’s also worth noting that if you own an account at any of the following banks you can use Trustly to make electronic payments directly from your bank account and into the Swedish bookmaker of your choice: Swedbank, Sparbanken, Handelsbanken, SEB, Nordea, Danske Bank, FOREX, ICA Banken, Länsförsäkringar, Skandiabanken, Sparb. Syd.

Zimpler betting sites are also picking up in popularity in Sweden, while the Swedish Gambling Act allowed newer payments like Swish to surface. When it comes to mobile payments, it looks like the Swedes lean towards Boku and Siru Mobile, so there’s a good chance you’ll find those as well.

New Swedish Betting Sites

Although a Casino-first brand originally, Casumo also launched their sportsbook and have acquired a Swedish license, continuing the streak of success they’ve been on with a great product for Swedish bettors.

When it comes to international betting sites accepting players from Sweden, Betwinner is a real winner indeed, with great variety in Swedish payments like Nordea Solo by Skrill, PurplePay, Siru Mobile, Boku and Ecopayz among many others.

Last, we could not neglect to mention Campobet with their great welcome bonus and variety of promotions, together with the wide events offering in 27 sports.

Where is the Swedish Market Headed?

The market has been regulated for quite some time now and competition among licensed bookmakers is fierce already. The legislative framework is strict and we believe it is going to get even stricter, as Swedish betting sites seem like they’re testing the extent to which they can experiment with marketing and get away with it to maximise their profit.

The penalties issued already are a clear sign that the Swedish regulator means business. Many scam bookmakers that were up until recently operating in the area have pulled way for the most part, leaving mainly reputable international brands accepting Swedish bettors. We anticipate that Spelinspektionen will strengthen their grip even more to push operators towards even more responsible gambling practices in the near future.

Gambling Regulations in Nearby Countries

⏩ Finland: has a legal and regulated gambling market under a state monopoly. This means that off-shore and international companies are illegal, though widely available. The betting sites in Finland offer one of the biggest lists of brands, with lenient measures that do not prosecute players or bookmakers.

⏩ Norway: just like Finland, has a state monopoly on all gambling. However, the best betting sites in Norway offer a wide choice of international companies that operate without a license.

⏩ Iceland: has an unregulated market, with one government bookie operating and no legal framework applicable to foreign companies. Most of the popular Iceland betting sites are in a grey market and have no license. 

⏩ Denmark: requires bookmakers to be compliant with the law and obtain a local license and domain. However, the Denmark betting sites are comprised of both local and international bookies that players are free to choose from.