Swedish gambling revenue rises 5.1% in Q2 2026 as online gaming and sports betting lead

Licensed gambling operators in Sweden generated SEK7.4bn (€669m) in the second quarter of 2026, with online gaming and sports betting doing most of the work. For PSPs and acquiring teams, the useful detail is not just the top line: channelisation slipped, unlicensed sites remained active, and Spelinspektionen kept tightening the screws on Spelpaus integration.

1. According to figures published by Spelinspektionen, licensed gambling operators in Sweden posted combined turnover of SEK7.4bn in Q2 2026. The regulator defines turnover as stakes minus winnings paid out, and the total was up 5.1% year on year.
2. Online gaming and sports betting generated SEK4.96bn, which was slightly more than 7% higher than in Q2 2025. State-run lotteries and slot machine games contributed SEK1.43bn, while games operated for public benefit, including lotteries and bingo, produced SEK863m. Bingo itself was steady at around SEK51m.
3. Land-based commercial gambling, mainly gaming machines in restaurants, reached SEK73m, up nearly 13% from SEK64m a year earlier. Land-based casino turnover was negligible after Svenska Spel closed its final Casino Cosmopol venue in April 2025.
4. Spelinspektionen said participation in Sweden’s national self-exclusion register, Spelpaus, fell 0.7% from the previous quarter to just under 138,000 people by the end of June. In April, the regulator introduced new technical requirements for operators connecting to Spelpaus, including unique IDs and stricter verification protocols. The system launched in 2019 and came under scrutiny last year after a documentary alleged a data breach.
5. On the unlicensed side, Spelinspektionen said 2,186 gambling websites without Swedish licences were active as of April 30. The regulator also said influencers continue to play a significant role in promoting unlicensed online gambling to Swedish consumers, alongside affiliate networks and link farms that redirect traffic to unlicensed casinos.

Channelisation for online gambling was estimated to have slipped 1% in 2025 to 84%, down from 86% in 2023 and 85% in 2024. For licensed operators and their payment providers, that is the part worth watching: the market is still growing, but a rising share of traffic is being pushed outside the regulated perimeter.