§1What is an unlicensed casino (olicensierat casino) in Sweden?

“Olicensierade casino” means gambling companies offering real-money games to Swedish players without a licence under Sweden’s Gambling Act (2018:1138).³

Chapter 3, section 3 requires a licence to provide gambling. But chapter 1, section 2 says online gambling not directed at the Swedish market is not considered provided in Sweden. The Act lists no criteria.³

Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, assesses the overall picture: domain, language, currency, payment methods and marketing. What matters is whether the business targets Swedish consumers, not which language it uses.⁴

In prohibition decisions, relevant signs have included Swedish as the default language for Swedish IP addresses, deposits in kronor, a preselected +46 country code, Swedish customer support and payment methods, and marketing through Swedish-language affiliate sites or influencers.⁵

“Unlicensed” therefore means only that a Swedish licence is missing. The company may hold a licence elsewhere, such as Malta or Curaçao, or none at all. That distinction matters greatly for players. A Swedish-language overview of how foreign casinos are set up is available at utlandskacasino.se.

By 30 April 2026, Spelinspektionen had identified 2,186 websites without a Swedish licence.⁶

§2Is it illegal to play at an unlicensed casino in Sweden?

No, it is not illegal for a player in Sweden to gamble with a company without a Swedish licence. Both Spelinspektionen and Konsumentverket, the consumer agency, confirm this. But you do not have the same protection.¹⁷

The penalties in Chapter 19 of the Gambling Act concern those providing or promoting unlicensed gambling, not players. Offences carry fines or imprisonment for up to two years; serious offences carry six months to six years.³

Since 1 January 2023, promoting participation in gambling without the required licence for commercial gain has been prohibited. In the second half of 2025, Spelinspektionen had 9 promotion cases. It investigated 18 unlicensed operators and issued prohibitions against 13.⁸

The law allows the government to require payment providers to reject payments to unlicensed gambling operations. That is why some deposits may be stopped. Spelinspektionen can also order internet providers to display warning messages on unlicensed sites, but the law does not authorise domain blocking.³

Playing at a casino without a Swedish licence means the Gambling Act’s protections do not apply: the duty of care, Spelpaus (Sweden’s self-exclusion system), deposit limits and bonus rules.¹ The distinction is between whether playing is illegal and which protections cover you.

§3What does a licence from Malta, Curaçao or elsewhere mean?

A foreign licence means oversight by another country’s authority, not licensing in Sweden.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) issues B2C licences: Type 1 covers random-number-generator casino games against the house; Type 2 covers fixed-odds betting.⁹ Since 1 April 2019, MGA has not decided disputes itself. Operators must offer a registered alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body, whose decision binds both parties.¹⁰

Malta’s 2023 Article 56A, often called Bill 55, requires Maltese courts to refuse enforcement of foreign judgments against MGA operators if the service was lawful in Malta. On 23 April 2026, an EU Court of Justice advocate general called it manifestly incompatible with EU rules in case C-683/24. The court’s judgment is still pending.¹¹

Curaçao’s new gambling law, LOK, took effect on 24 December 2024. The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) replaced the master-licence and sublicence system; old sublicence certificates are listed as no longer valid. CGA does not handle individual complaints, mediate or award compensation.¹² What the new Curaçao regime means for players is summarised (in Swedish) at curacaocasino.se.

According to Spelinspektionen’s 2025 report, 38 percent of traffic to unlicensed gambling sites in 2024 went to Curaçao-licensed sites and 5 percent to Anjouan-licensed sites.¹³ Some sites have no licence whatsoever, meaning no oversight or complaints route.

§4How do I check whether a casino is licensed?

You can check a casino’s licence in the issuing authority’s register and match the company name against the site’s terms and conditions. Spelinspektionen has a searchable public register you can export to Excel.¹⁴ On 31 December 2025, 76 companies held 130 licences for commercial online gambling and betting in Sweden.¹⁵

Reputable operators show their licence number and issuing authority at the bottom of their website. Look that number up with the authority. MGA’s Licensee Hub lets you search by company, status and website address.¹⁶ Curaçao’s CGA publishes PDF licence lists, the latest dated 9 October 2026, but warns that a listing does not guarantee the licence is still valid.¹⁷ Check that the registered company is the one named in the site’s terms.

§5Do I pay tax on winnings from an unlicensed casino?

Winnings from casinos without a Swedish licence can be taxable in Sweden, depending on where the gambling is provided and whether it targets Sweden.

Under Chapter 8, Section 3 of Inkomstskattelagen, Sweden’s Income Tax Act, winnings are tax-free if the game has a Swedish licence, or is provided within the European Economic Area (EEA) and does not require one.¹⁸

Skatteverket, the Swedish Tax Agency, treats winnings as taxable when a company targets Sweden and needs a Swedish licence but lacks it, even within the EEA. Its example is a Malta-based poker site targeting Sweden.²

For operators outside the EEA, such as Curaçao, Spelinspektionen says winnings above 100 kronor are always taxable, regardless of the target market.¹³

Under Chapter 42, Section 25, annual winnings minus stakes with the same operator give the net winnings. The 100-kronor threshold is not a deduction. Tax is 30 percent, as capital income; losses with one operator cannot offset winnings with another.¹⁸²

For example, 20,000 kronor in stakes and 45,000 in winnings with one non-EEA operator mean 25,000 in net winnings and 7,500 in tax.

Spelinspektionen warns that failing to pay tax on taxable winnings may constitute a tax offence.¹

§6Does Spelpaus apply to casinos without a Swedish licence?

No, Spelpaus, Sweden’s self-exclusion system, applies only to gambling operators with a Swedish licence. According to Spelinspektionen, casinos without a Swedish licence need not offer Spelpaus, deposit limits or self-tests.¹

Exclusion covers all Swedish-licensed gambling requiring registration: online, in shops, at tracks and on Vegas machines. Periods are 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or indefinitely (at least 12 months). An exclusion cannot end early.¹⁹

Spelpaus.se listed 143,396 excluded people on 12 October 2026, compared with 134,484 on 31 December 2025.²⁰¹⁵ Spelinspektionen’s report on the share of gambling within the licensed market says the most common reason for playing without a licence is being, or having been, excluded through Spelpaus.⁶ Swedish-language guides describe this from the player’s side, and cover casinos without a gambling stop and playing despite Spelpaus.

Stödlinjen, a support service, answers on 020-81 91 00, free of charge and anonymously, and offers chat at stodlinjen.se.²¹

§7Where can I turn if a foreign casino will not pay out?

For disputes with casinos without a Swedish licence, help depends on the operator’s licensing country.

Spelinspektionen has no oversight of these companies and cannot pursue individual disputes. It warns that Swedish authorities may struggle to help, leaving you to contact authorities in the licensing country.¹

ARN, Sweden’s consumer complaints board, can consider disputes with companies in other EU countries targeting Sweden, but not where foreign law applies. Filing costs 150 kronor.²² Konsumentverket does not decide individual cases; Konsument Europa advises on cross-border purchases within the EU.⁷

For MGA-licensed companies, disputes go to the operator’s alternative dispute resolution body. MGA also offers a player complaint form.¹⁰ Curaçao’s CGA does not handle individual complaints.¹²

On 16 April 2026, the EU Court ruled in C-440/23 that countries may prohibit online casinos permitted elsewhere in the EU, and EU law does not prevent players claiming back lost stakes.²³

Save terms, chat logs and deposit receipts from the start.

§8Why do unlicensed casinos exist when Sweden has a licensing system?

In 2025, 84 percent of gambling, measured by net revenue, took place with Swedish-licensed operators. Spelinspektionen reported this on 15 June 2026, compared with 85 percent in 2024 and 86 percent in 2023. Online casino channelisation was 81 percent; betting was 96 percent.⁶

The measure averages a survey of 4,175 players and internet-traffic measurement. The methods give a range of 78–89 percent.⁶ Before the 2019 re-regulation, channelisation was well below 50 percent, according to Statskontoret.¹³

Common reasons for using casinos without a Swedish licence include self-exclusion through Spelpaus, perceived better winning chances and games unavailable in Sweden.⁶

An EU licence does not give an operator the right to offer gambling in Sweden. The EU Court accepted national restrictions in Gambelli (C-243/01), Placanica (C-338/04) and Liga Portuguesa (C-42/07).²⁴ In Sjöberg and Gerdin (C-447/08 and C-448/08, 2010), it allowed Sweden to prohibit advertising for foreign profit-making gambling.²⁵

§9What happens next with the rules?

Sweden has proposed broader online gambling rules, but whether or when they become law remains unclear. The September 2025 memorandum Ds 2025:23 would treat online gambling as provided in Sweden if people there can participate, replacing the current test of whether it targets Sweden. The promotion ban would also cover payment services. The proposed start date is 1 January 2027, but no bill had been introduced by 12 October 2026.²⁶ Separately, an expanded credit ban for licence holders has applied since 1 May 2026 under SFS 2026:90.²⁷ The EU Court of Justice’s ruling on Malta’s Article 56A, case C-683/24, remains pending.¹¹

§10Frequently asked questions

§11Sources and method

This guide is based on statutes, the authorities’ own pages and reports, and EU Court rulings. Each source was read on the date shown. We do not link to gambling operators. Swedish original: olicensieradecasino.se.

1. 1Spelinspektionen: Risky to play unlicensed (Swedish) publ. 2024-11-22 · read 12 Oct 2026
2. 2Skatteverket: Winnings from gambling and competitions (Swedish) – · read 12 Oct 2026
3. 3Sveriges riksdag: Gambling Act (2018:1138) amended up to SFS 2026:1077 · read 12 Oct 2026
4. 4Spelinspektionen: What is illegal gambling? (Swedish) publ. 2025-07-02 · read 12 Oct 2026
5. 5Spelinspektionen: Prohibition decision, 9 Jul 2026 (Swedish) 2026-07-09 · read 12 Oct 2026
6. 6Spelinspektionen: Channelisation of the Swedish gambling market 2025 (Swedish) 2026-06-15 · read 12 Oct 2026
7. 7Konsumentverket: Problems with gambling companies (Swedish) reviewed 2025-10-23 · read 12 Oct 2026
8. 8Spelinspektionen: Action against promotion of illegal gambling (Swedish) 2026-01-27 · read 12 Oct 2026
9. 9Malta Gaming Authority: Types of games licensable by the Authority – · read 12 Oct 2026
10. 10Malta Gaming Authority: Lodge a complaint – · read 12 Oct 2026
11. 11EU-domstolen: Press release 65/26, case C-683/24 (Advocate General) 2026-04-23 · read 12 Oct 2026
12. 12Curaçao Gaming Authority: Online gaming – · read 12 Oct 2026
13. 13Spelinspektionen: Situation report: online gambling outside the licensed market (Swedish) 2025-03-20 · read 12 Oct 2026
14. 14Spelinspektionen: Licence register ongoing · read 12 Oct 2026
15. 15Spelinspektionen: Annual report 2025 (Swedish) 2026 · read 12 Oct 2026
16. 16Malta Gaming Authority: Licensee Hub ongoing · read 12 Oct 2026
17. 17Curaçao Gaming Authority: Licence register list 2026-10-09 · read 12 Oct 2026
18. 18Sveriges riksdag: Income Tax Act (1999:1229), ch. 8 s. 3 and ch. 42 s. 25 current wording · read 12 Oct 2026
19. 19Spelinspektionen: Spelpaus.se (Swedish) publ. 2025-02-20 · read 12 Oct 2026
20. 20Spelpaus.se: Spelpaus.se (live counter) read 2026-10-12
21. 21Stödlinjen: Call us (Swedish) updated 2026-08-25 · read 12 Oct 2026
22. 22Allmänna reklamationsnämnden: Disputes with companies in another EU country (Swedish) updated 2025-09-08 · read 12 Oct 2026
23. 23EU-domstolen: Press release 53/26, case C-440/23 2026-04-16 · read 12 Oct 2026
24. 24EUR-Lex: Case C-42/07 Liga Portuguesa (2009); see also C-243/01 Gambelli and C-338/04 Placanica 2009-09-08 · read 12 Oct 2026
25. 25EU-domstolen: Press release 75/10, cases C-447/08 and C-448/08 Sjöberg and Gerdin 2010-07-08 · read 12 Oct 2026
26. 26Regeringskansliet / riksdagen.se: Ds 2025:23 Scope of the Gambling Act (Swedish) 2025-09-17 · read 12 Oct 2026
27. 27Svensk författningssamling: SFS 2026:90 Amendment to the Gambling Act (Swedish) issued 2026-02-19 · read 12 Oct 2026