One in five Swedes bets online as unlicensed play persists
Table of contents
- Around 24% of Swedes (roughly one in five) participate in online sports betting and 18% (roughly one in six) play online casino games.
- The Casinofeber survey screened 3,463 people and focused on 1,004 active players between 3 and 17 July 2025.
- 18% of online casino players use sites without a Swedish licence and 65% cannot verify licence status.
A new survey of the Swedish gambling market shows that online betting and casino gaming remain widely popular across the country.
The 2025 edition of the Casinofeber research project, known as Casinotempen, measured participation levels and player behaviour across the regulated Swedish gambling sector.
Betting edges out casino in participation
The survey screened 3,463 respondents before focusing on 1,004 active online gamblers (from the initial 3,463 screened), split between 501 casino players and 503 sports betting players. Results were weighted by gender and age.
Findings show that 24% of Swedes (roughly one in five) take part in online sports betting. Online casino gaming reaches approximately 18% of the population (roughly one in six).
Casino players tend to be younger, with an average age of 39–42 years based on weighted means. Sports bettors skew older at 42–49 years. Employment levels are high across both groups, with about two-thirds working full time.
Spending remains modest for most players. The most common monthly casino outlay sits below 99 SEK, though 17% of casino players spend 1,000 SEK or more each month. Slots dominate game preferences, with 49% of casino players favouring them. Women are more likely than men to choose slots, at 55% versus 45%.
Unlicensed play and bonus frustrations persist
A notable finding is that 18% of online casino players use sites that do not hold a Swedish licence. Compounding the problem, 65% of players said they do not know how to verify whether a casino holds a valid licence.
Bonus-related frustrations also featured prominently. Among the 35% of casino players who had used bonuses, 27% reported problems. Over half of those issues related to unclear terms and conditions. Some 45% of players reported difficulty withdrawing bonus-related winnings. A striking 78% of all respondents said bonus terms are too long or unclear.
Brand recognition and responsible gambling
LeoVegas recorded the highest brand awareness at 69%, followed by bet365, Unibet and Betsson. Expekt received the highest user rating among casinos surveyed.
For sports betting, Svenska Spel dominates awareness at 86%, with 64% of bettors having placed wagers through the state-run operator.
On the responsible gambling front, most respondents said they had never borrowed money to gamble. Awareness of Spelpaus, the national self-exclusion tool operated by the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen), remains high, with 65% of casino players familiar with the system.
The findings arrive as Swedish regulators continue to refine gambling rules. The persistent share of players using unlicensed sites indicates that channelisation challenges persist, a concern echoed in Spelinspektionen data that operators and the regulator will need to address in the months ahead.
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