Main Provisions of the Gambling Ordinance in Sweden
Lag om spel is the formal name of the Swedish Gambling Act. The most recent revision started in 2019, establishing all regulations for gambling activities in the country. Article 4 specifies the minimum age to participate in gambling activities. People younger than 18 years are strictly forbidden from participating in gambling.
The Lag of Spel does not explicitly forbid professional athletes from being involved in betting. However, most athletes refrain from participating in order to avoid conflicts of interest or because of contractual reasons.
The act applies to land-based and online casinos, but there are certain differences because of the nature of both activities.
First is licensing. Land-based casinos get their licensing from the local municipality. Online casinos are required to get their license directly from the Spelinspektionen.
The Spelinspektionen also enforces substantial marketing restrictions on online casinos. Swedish casinos are forbidden from offering welcome bonuses, such as no deposit bonuses or free spins, to attract new players. If you are looking for this type of bonus, you must go to an offshore online casino accepting players from Sweden.
Online casinos must use certified RNG from the authority.
Online casinos are also subject to strict regulations regarding player security. They need to have strict methods for age verification and self-exclusion systems. As can be clearly seen, the government understands the online realm poses a powerful risk because of the lack of supervision. Therefore, they make strong efforts to mitigate all risks using a comprehensive set of rules that will put the player first, guaranteeing minimal harm to gamblers and a safe and fair environment in which to play.