--- title: "Sweden — Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence? | advennt.io" canonical: https://advennt.io/jurisdictions/sweden/licensing/ source_html: /jurisdictions/se/licensing/index.html description: "Sweden — Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence?" generated_at: 2026-11-07T14:55:18Z content_sha256: a860a23e3eb9ccbfb46e1b767ffa24f44e1653f5fbcb8bb66627606db471e30c generator: "fe-fleet/md-twin@1.0" --- # Sweden — Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence? | advennt.io [Jurisdictions](/jurisdictions/) › [Sweden](/jurisdictions/sweden/) › Licensing and regulation # Sweden Gambling — Licensing and regulation: Can we get a licence? Key section parameters Jurisdiction Sweden (SE) Regulator Spelinspektionen Favourability Favourable Confidence Confirmed Review status Expert approved · 3 post-review updates · Not reviewed · In expert review scope Last collected 25 Oct 2026 Summary answer ## Regulated The Swedish Gambling Act (2018:1138) allows any gambling operator satisfying the suitability criteria set out in the Gambling Act to apply for and be granted licences to offer online commercial gambling and/or betting to Swedish consumers. Included in the product scope for online comm… 28 Sep 2026 Read update The land-based casino licence class has been discontinued: Casino Cosmopol ceased physical operation on 24 April 2025, ahead of a Riksdag-legislated closure effective 1 January 2026. This is a structural, primary-legislation-level change to the licensing map rather than a licence-condition amendment, and it leaves the online casino licence class untouched. No new evidence surfaced this cycle on the entry pathway, capital, or fit-and-proper requirements for online licences, which remain governed by the existing statutory framework. The practical effect for a market entrant is that any land-based casino ambitions in Sweden are foreclosed, while online licence routes are unaffected by this closure. 21 Sep 2026 Read update The licensing framework itself, grounded in the Gambling Act (2018:1138), is unchanged in category terms this cycle, but its cost structure has shifted materially. SIFS 2026:1 replaces SIFS 2024:4, moving Spelinspektionen's supervision-fee calculation from a per-corporate-group basis to a per-licence basis, effective 1 March 2026. The headline fees are SEK 240,000 per year for a B2C licence and SEK 16,500 per year for a B2B software permit. As a regulator fee schedule rather than primary legislation, SIFS 2026:1 is a fragile instrument -- revocable and revisable by Spelinspektionen without a legislative process -- but its practical effect is immediate: multi-licence corporate groups now face materially higher aggregate supervision costs than under the prior per-group charging model. 25 Aug 2026 Read update No new evidence of change to Sweden's online licensing categories was identified this cycle. The one licensing-scope development is the permanent closure of the land-based casino segment: Casino Cosmopol's physical casinos closed on 1 January 2026, and Spelinspektionen will not issue any new physical casino licences going forward. This is treated as a durable change, since it rests on the underlying statutory and administrative framework governing the land-based segment rather than on a circular or short-lived ministerial instruction, and it is not expected to be reversed through ordinary regulatory action. The practical effect is that Sweden's licensing framework is now exclusively an online-licensing regime, with the state's former physical-casino monopoly segment permanently retired. ## Full section analysis ## Regulated The Swedish Gambling Act (2018:1138) allows any gambling operator satisfying the suitability criteria set out in the Gambling Act to apply for and be granted licences to offer online commercial gambling and/or betting to Swedish consumers. Included in the product scope for online commercial gambling is online bingo, online casino (including roulette, baccarat, punto banco, blackjack, poker and dice games) and computer simulated gambling machines (slots). Betting, both online and land-based betting, are included in the licence scope. Changes to the Gambling Act mean that as from 1 July 2023, B2B operators manufacturing, amending, installing or supplying gambling software to Swedish B2C online licence holders also require a software permit. Land-based bingo, casino, lottery, poker, skilled games are - with few exceptions - reserved for the state monopoly and/or charity organisations. For gambling operations, the relevant regulator is the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA). Within gambling, the SGA is also the regulatory authority when it comes to compliance with AML-legislation. ## Licence Triggers The main legislative act in Sweden governing gambling is the Gambling Act (2018:1138). In addition, there is a governmental Gambling Ordinance (2018:1475) and secondary legislation issued by the SGA pursuant to the Gambling Act. Other relevant regulations directly applicable to gambling operations include the Swedish Gambling Tax Act (2018:1139) and the Money Laundering Act (2017:630). A licence is required in Sweden for games of chance involving money and other prizes with a monetary value. The Gambling Act applies to gambling that is provided in Sweden and online gambling that is not directed at the Swedish market shall not be considered to be provided in Sweden. The SGA has set up extensive (non-exhaustive) criteria for when online gambling can be considered targeting the Swedish market, including inter alia marketing in Swedish/on Swedish websites, Swedish currency and other Swedish specific services. Licences and permits under the Gambling Act may be granted to those who: - Are deemed to have the knowledge, experience and organisation required to run the operation - Presumably will run the operation in accordance with acts and other statutes that govern the operation - Are deemed in other respects to be fit to run the operation In order for the Swedish Gambling Authority to assess whether an applicant satisfies these criteria, it has provided application forms to be filled in and submitted by operators who wish to provide gambling in Sweden. There is no requirement of local presence, but if the licence or permit holder is established outside the EEA, it needs to appoint a local representative. Furthermore, a B2C operator’s gambling system needs to be placed in Sweden but an exception can be granted if the licence holder: - Has permission to offer gambling in another country where a public authority monitors the licence holder’s gambling offers and said authority has concluded an agreement with the SGA on oversight of its gambling offers in Sweden, or - Can give the Swedish gambling authority the ability to perform adequate controls over the gambling system by means of remote access or the like ## Type of licence The Gambling Act is a prohibitory law, which means that any gambling not explicitly included in the scope of the law or an individual licence will be prohibited. Six different types of licences exist: 1. Licence for the state monopoly – including gambling on land-based gambling machines (slots) and certain forms of lotteries. 2. Licence for charities/good causes – may include lotteries, land-based bingo and local pool betting at horse racing tracks. 3. Licence for land-based commercial gambling – which may include specific casino and card games and gambling machines (slots) if provided at an amusement park or at hotel or restaurant premises that hold a permit to serve alcohol. 4. Licence for gambling on ships in international traffic 5. Licence for commercial online gambling – included in the product scope for online commercial gambling is online bingo, online casino (including roulette, baccarat, punto banco, blackjack, poker and dice games) and computer simulated gambling machines (slots). 6. Licence for betting – including both land-based and online betting. A betting licence also covers betting on horse races, betting on electronically simulated events and the outcome of lotteries (if consent of the entity providing the lottery has been obtained). Certain defined forms of betting and betting on certain kinds of events are prohibited. As from 1 July 2023, suppliers who manufacture, supply, install or amend gambling software available in the Swedish market require a permit. The requirement includes current B2C licence holders who perform such activities. Social games and skill games fall outside the scope of the Gambling Act and, therefore, do not require a licence. It must be noted that winnings from a game of skill will be taxed as income in Sweden and the operator supplying such games will need to pay social charges. As of 1 January 2026, the license for the state monopoly will be discontinued, and land-based casinos will no longer be permitted. The last Swedish casino, closed its doors on 25 April 2025, marking the end of land-based casinos in the country. Period of licence & renewal process Licences and B2B permits are normally issued for a period of five years. The SGA has however limited the licence period in certain instances where the authority has found reason to reassess the operators’ suitability sooner. Examples of when the licence period has been limited to two or three years is when an operator has indicated historic negative equity or where the operator has not been able to sufficiently demonstrate a that it has a sufficiently large organisation to operate in the Swedish market. Application timeframe and phrases Licence and permit applications A licence or permit application is filed through the application form provided by the SGA and by submission of annexes and supporting documents. In relation to a B2C licence, key individuals, including UBOs, directors, management and certain key roles held in the applicant company must submit an Annex A form and due diligence documents. Qualified owners, i.e. legal entities directly or indirectly holding 10% or more of the shares or voting rights in the applicant company must fill in and submit an Annex B, together with certain due diligence documents. As part of the licence application, several other supporting document will need to be submitted. Certification reports from accredited testing houses showing compliance with the Swedish technical requirements are usually the most time-consuming part of the applicants’ licence preparations. The SGA aims to issue a licence or permit within three months of a complete licence application being filed. If an application for renewal is filed at least four months in advance of the licence or permit expiry, the old licence and/or permit will remain valid until the SGA has made a decision on the renewal application. List of documents & type of information needed to support application Several documents need to be included to support a B2C licence application. For example, an operator applying for an online commercial licence needs to submit: - Application Form with basic information regarding the applicant and the operations - Annex A – to be filled in by certain key personnel, directors, UBOs, etc. (and certain due diligence documents) - Annex B – to be filled in by qualified owners (legal entities) (and certain due diligence documents) - Business plan. - Description of the owner/group structure. - Description of the applicant’s operations. - Financial documentation. - Technical certification. - Corporate documents - Other licences held, if issued in a country other than Sweden. - Licence rejections, revocations etc. All documents must be submitted in Swedish. In addition to the above, a registration must be made with the Swedish Tax Agency. The application procedure for a B2B permit is easier and normally requires a filled in application form, a description of the gambling software, a description of the applicant’s operations and information about potential licences rejections, revocations, etc. A B2B permit allows for the manufacture, supply, amendment and installation of gambling software with Swedish B2C licence holders. Mechanics of the licence process There is no limit on number and timeframes for licence applications. Certain licences are only available to the state monopoly or charity lotteries. Bad Actor / Cooling off periods There are no bad actor or cooling off periods but sanctions issued by other regulators have historically resulted in a shorter licence periods (two or three years instead of the normal five years), but the SGA seems to have now abandoned this practice.