Sweden targets illegal gambling by cutting off its marketing routes
Sweden’s gambling regulator is shifting more attention towards the advertising networks, influencers and digital platforms that steer local players to operators without a Swedish licence.
Spelinspektionen said its work during the second quarter of 2026 included new supervision cases against companies suspected of offering unlicensed gambling. Several businesses changed their conduct while cases were under review, allowing the authority to close the files without further action.
The regulator has also completed a deeper analysis of how illegal gambling is promoted. Its findings point to marketing as a practical entry route into the unlicensed market, rather than a side issue confined to rogue casino websites.
“Marketing is one of several routes through which consumers reach unlicensed gambling. That is why action against promotion is an important part of our supervision. We see that clear information and early contact can lead operators to correct their conduct,” said Ewa Gabrielsson, an investigator at Spelinspektionen.
The strategy reflects how Swedish players now encounter gambling brands. April 2026 data supplied by Blask, an iGaming market-intelligence platform, found that 60 per cent of respondents discovered brands through internet advertising. Online search and sports media outlets were each cited by 50 per cent, followed by mobile app notifications at 45 per cent, social media at 40 per cent and television commercials at just 35 per cent.
YouTube was cited by 30 per cent, while one in four respondents encountered brands through advertising shown alongside online films and television series. The figures suggest that action against illegal operators increasingly depends on restricting the digital routes through which they acquire customers.
A market built on traffic
The authority’s report maps a wide range of channels used to attract Swedish players, including affiliate sites, sponsored articles, social media posts, livestreams, banners, text messages, email, paid search results and sponsorships in sport and esports.
Some methods are fleeting by design. Affiliate domains may operate for only a few months before disappearing, while chains of Swedish- and English-language sites can make it difficult to identify who is responsible. Searches for terms such as casinos without a Swedish licence can lead to hundreds of comparison and affiliate pages.
Livestreaming platforms present a different problem. Spelinspektionen said promotion of unlicensed gambling is particularly visible on Twitch and Kick, where influencers may distribute links, bonus codes and competitions linked to casino play. Discord groups can then keep the relationship with followers out of public view, including advice on deposits or bypassing geographical blocks.
The report said: “Unlicensed companies use a wide variety of marketing channels to recruit Swedish players.”
Influencers and advertisers in the spotlight
Spelinspektionen’s approach is increasingly aimed at those who facilitate access, not only the gambling operator itself. Marketing actors are often based in Sweden, making notices and financial penalties easier to enforce than action against an offshore company.
In 2025, Spelinspektionen opened 11 cases involving the marketing of illegal gambling. Six concerned influencers and five involved advertising banners. It said the identified marketing had stopped in every completed case.
Influencers have received particular attention because their content can reach children and young people. The regulator’s report points to platforms such as Twitch, TikTok, Snapchat and Discord, as well as esports, as places where younger users may be exposed to unlicensed gambling promotions.
Sweden has also added a 10-day self-exclusion option to Spelpaus, giving players a shorter alternative to the existing one-month exclusion. A separate industry-commissioned report found that problem-gambling rates had fallen, while overall participation remained high.
But the regulator can only go so far under the current law. Under Sweden’s current targeting test, an offshore operator may fall outside the regulator’s reach if its advertising is not specifically directed at Swedish consumers, even when people in Sweden see the adverts and use the site. Sweden has proposed replacing its targeting test with a participant-based rule. Under the proposal, due to take effect from 1 January 2027 if approved by parliament, online gambling would fall within Swedish law whenever people in the country can participate.
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