Sweden’s licensed gambling operators generated GGR of SEK 6.7bn ($713.6m) in Q1 2026, a 0.8% increase year-on-year, according to Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority. Total turnover for the quarter reached SEK 27.85bn. The result marks a significant sequential drop, however — GGR was down 14.4% from the SEK 7.8bn recorded in Q4 2025.
Online Segment Drives the Gains
Commercial online gambling and betting remained the market’s dominant segment, posting GGR of SEK 4.43bn in Q1 2026. That is a 3.4% increase compared with Q1 2025 and the only segment to record year-on-year growth. Quarter-on-quarter, however, the segment fell 10.4% from Q4 2025 levels, a pattern consistent with typical seasonal softness following the fourth quarter’s peak sporting calendar.
The online segment’s sustained growth reflects a structural shift in Swedish player behaviour that has been evident since re-regulation in 2019, with digital channels progressively absorbing activity from retail and land-based formats. Sweden’s Q3 2025 data also showed online as the sole growth driver, at SEK 4.51bn, up 3.5% year-on-year.
State and Public Benefit Segments Decline
State lottery and slot machine revenue came in at SEK 1.28bn in Q1 2026, down 3.3% year-on-year from SEK 1.3bn in the same period last year. On a sequential basis, the figure was 16.3% below Q4 2025.
Games for public benefit and lotteries generated SEK 863m, a 2.6% decline year-on-year. The result continues a pattern of modest contraction in the segment, which includes charity lotteries and hall bingo, as players migrate to commercial online products.
The broad decline across state-controlled and non-commercial formats adds pressure on Svenska Spel, the state-owned operator. For context, Svenska Spel reported Q1 2026 net gaming revenue of SEK 1.88bn, up 2% year-on-year, with operating profit rising 4% to SEK 659m — growth supported by digital channels offsetting continued retail declines. ATG, a fellow state-linked operator, reported revenue declines in early 2026 as its CEO stepped down amid the impact of Sweden’s gambling tax increase, illustrating the varied pressures on publicly controlled gambling businesses in the market.
Self-Exclusion Registrations Continue to Rise
Spelinspektionen reported that nearly 138,000 individuals were self-excluded via Spelpaus.se at the end of Q1 2026, a 2.6% increase from the previous quarter. The figure has risen consistently over recent periods — it stood at approximately 125,000 at the end of Q1 2025 — reflecting both broader awareness of the register and the ongoing rollout of operator compliance measures.
The steady climb in Spelpaus registrations is a metric Spelinspektionen monitors closely as an indicator of responsible gambling tool uptake within the licensed market.
Credit Ban Extended and Board Appointment Made
Sweden’s extended credit gambling ban came into force in May 2026, broadening restrictions that initially applied to credit cards from April 2026. Under the updated regulations, operators and gambling agents are prohibited from processing any transaction involving a form of credit, including credit agreements with third parties such as loan arrangements and bank overdrafts. Spelinspektionen published updated Q&A guidance for operators alongside the ban’s implementation.
The measure makes Sweden one of the strictest regulated markets in Europe on payment controls, and its effect on deposit volumes and channelisation rates is expected to become visible in Q2 2026 data.
Separately, the Swedish Government appointed Mattias Pleiner as a new member of the Spelinspektionen board for a term running from 13 May 2026 to 31 March 2028. Pleiner has extensive experience within the Swedish legal and judicial system, having held senior roles across the courts and the Government Offices of Sweden. The appointment adds judicial expertise to a regulator that has been expanding its enforcement powers under recent legislative reform. Nordic regulators, including Sweden’s, have been increasingly active in formal enforcement action over the past year.
The Q2 2026 report will be the first to capture the full-quarter impact of the credit ban, providing a clearer read on whether the restrictions have meaningfully altered online GGR or shifted activity to unlicensed alternatives — a risk Spelinspektionen has flagged in prior market assessments.
Source: Spelinspektionen
