Sweden launches inquiry into youth gambling, with marketing and unlicensed play in scope

The Swedish government has set up an inquiry to propose measures against gambling harm among children and young adults. For PSPs and operators, the interesting part is that the review explicitly covers marketing from both licensed and unlicensed companies, plus the risk of pushing more play offshore if new safeguards are too blunt.

1. Zandra Milton, chief legal officer at Karolinska Institutet in Solna, will lead the inquiry and gather evidence on gambling among children and young adults before submitting proposals to the government.
2. The government wants stronger protection for boys and young men in particular. Health Minister Elisabet Lann (KD) said that risky gambling among young men has doubled in just a few years and that one in five is affected. Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson added that boys are overrepresented among people caught up in gambling addiction and said the share of boys with risky gambling has doubled in recent years.
3. The assignment includes mapping gambling marketing from both licensed and unlicensed gaming companies, as well as analysing gambling habits on the licensed and unlicensed market. The investigator will also look at whether gambling is being used to identify and exploit vulnerable young people for criminal activity, and can propose countermeasures if needed.
4. Other items in scope include existing efforts to limit children and young people’s access to lottery features, casino features and similar content inside computer games, the need to review young players’ financial situation when gambling, and the possible introduction of mandatory time limits. The inquiry will also look at support options if access is suspended on spelpaus.se.
5. The government said the investigator must balance any new protective measures against the risk of increased gambling with companies without a Swedish licence. The final report is due to the Ministry of Health by February 2028.