Lost in the shuffle: Swedes struggle to spot illegal gambling sites
A recent survey has found that nearly half of gamblers in Sweden remain unsure about the risks associated with unlicenced operators. The survey, conducted by Enkätfabriken on behalf of Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, in November 2024, involved 1,644 individuals.
It comprised 53 percent male and 47 percent female respondents, of which 1,164 had engaged in gambling activities within the past year. The findings show that there is still a long way to go in achieving full compliance and ensuring consumer protection despite clear government initiatives to promote market channelisation in the online gambling ecosystem.
Nearly half of respondents can’t spot illegal gambling sites
The aim of the survey was to assess how many individuals had an understanding of regulated and unregulated gambling sites. A notable 42 percent respondents considered playing at a licenced 바카라 important, this marks an improvement from the previous 28 percent recorded in the prior survey iteration.
However, the data also revealed that 47 percent of the respondents believed that regulated sites offered specific benefits while an equal 47 percent were unsure or unaware of those benefits. This underscores a widespread lack of awareness regarding the security and consumer protection measures ensured by Sweden’s licenced gambling framework. Another 6 percent of respondents dismissed any advantages of regulated gambling, which indicates that they saw no difference between licenced and unlicenced sites.
Sweden’s channelisation efforts
These findings show why Sweden’s channelisation efforts —the process of redirection of consumers toward licensed, regulated operators—have produced mixed results, despite strong regulatory backing from . As Sweden strives to attain an over 90 percent channelisation rate, according to a report from ATG, the national horseracing operator, the current estimates range from 69 percent to 82 percent.
Last year Spelinspektionen published a detailed report focusing on an improved method for calculating the channelisation rate within the Swedish gambling market. The report was part of a government mandate aimed at improving the measurement and reporting of the share of Swedish gambling that takes place through licensed operators.
Stakeholders are highlighting underlying structural issues in the market as revealed by the survey. The root of the problem, according to the analysts argue, remain in two primary areas, namely lack of public awareness about regulated and unregulated platforms. While the other one is grey market loopholes where some operators skirt Swedish rules by presenting their sites in English and offering payments in euros—making them appear more “international” than illegal.
