A new licensing regime for gambling businesses in Sweden will take effect from 1 March 2026, overseen by the Gambling Inspectorate of Spelinspektionen.
Authorised by the Riksdag, the reform resets supervision fees for licensed gambling operators (B2C) and technology and games suppliers (B2B)
A new fee structure includes a headline annual charge of SEK 240,000 (€21,000) per B2C licence and SEK 16,500 (€1,450) for gambling software permits. The updated framework is formalised under regulation SIFS 2026:1, replacing the existing fee regulation SIFS 2024:4.
The change does not alter what gambling activities are permitted in Sweden, but enables the cost of regulatory supervision under the Gambling Act 2018 to reflect deepening oversight demands undertaken by Spelinspektionen.
A key structural change is that supervision fees will be charged per licence rather than per corporate group.
As a result, operators holding both a commercial online casino licence and a betting licence will be required to pay separate annual fees of SEK 240,000 (€21,000) for each licence held.
For B2B licences, SIFS 2026:1 establishes a rolling 12-month supervision period beginning from the date a licence or software permit is granted, with subsequent 12-month periods applying for as long as the authorisation remains in force.
Should a licence run for less than a full year, fees may be calculated on a pro-rata basis, subject to a minimum charge equal to one twelfth of the annual amount.
Supervision should be invoiced and paid in advance. However, where a licence remains active due to a court ruling or legal continuation, Spelinspektionen may invoice the applicable fee retrospectively. The regulator also retains discretion to reduce or waive fees in exceptional circumstances.
The revised licence fee structure will support Spelinspektionen as it oversees a broad set of reforms to Sweden’s online gambling framework.
System change in 2026
From 1 April 2026, Spelinspektionen and the Ministry of Finance will implement a “full ban on credit-funded gambling transactions“, prohibiting licensed operators from processing payments linked to credit cards, personal loans, overdrafts or buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) products. The measure is deemed as the most comprehensive prohibition on credit-based gambling transactions introduced by a European state.
Further reforms will see Spelinspektionen enact amendments to key provisions of the Swedish Gambling Act 2018, repealing the so-called “directional criterion” applied to remote gambling licences.
The change is intended to extend regulatory jurisdiction over unlicensed remote operators that accept Swedish customers, regardless of whether their services are explicitly targeted at the Swedish market.
Separately, from 1 January 2026, the Inspectorate has been granted expanded enforcement and penalty powers, including enhanced authority to impose sanctions and revoke licences, forming a core pillar of the government’s 2026 gambling reform package.
Swedish gambling stakeholders are also awaiting confirmation of a new Director General for Spelinspektionen, as the regulator continues to be led on an interim basis by Johan Röhr, following the departure of Camilla Rosenberg, who was appointed to a senior housing policy role within the Ministry of Finance.
The Riksdag has yet to finalise its review of regulatory amendments proposed in 2025 by Financial Markets Secretary Niklas Wykman and senior adviser Marcus Isgren.
The proposals include strengthened enforcement powers over land-based gambling venues, enhanced protections for higher-risk products such as slot games, and the introduction of more centralised controls for self-exclusion and operator duty-of-care obligations.