Swedish Gambling Authority fines charities and political groups over lottery sales violations
The Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) has issued fines and warnings to several charitable and political organisations over breaches in lottery operations and telephone sales practices. The action follows investigations into non-compliance with gambling regulations and concerns raised by both the Consumer Agency and media reports.
Charities sanctioned for date lottery violations
The Swedish Breast Cancer Association and the were among the organisations penalised following a supervisory review of their lottery operations, specifically the Date Lottery. Spelinspektionen found that the organisations failed to follow key regulations concerning commission agreements and telephone ticket sales.
The investigation was triggered after the Swedish Consumer Agency examined the marketing methods used in phone-based ticket sales. The findings led the gambling authority to conclude that the sales practices did not meet legal requirements, especially regarding consumer protection and responsible gaming.
Political organisations penalised for Kombilotteriet sales
On May 26, the Swedish Gambling Authority fined the SEK 3 million (€275,000) following an aggressive telemarketing campaign targeting the elderly.
Spelinspektionen imposed sanctions on the Swedish Social Democratic Workers’ Party, the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League, and the Swedish Social Democratic Women’s League. The penalties relate to their involvement in Kombilotteriet, a lottery product that came under media scrutiny in recent months.
Regulators identified similar failings in these organisations’ lottery operations. They determined that the sales environment lacked control and security, violating gambling laws. The authority ruled that commissioning third parties to carry out phone sales was unjustified under current regulations due to the absence of proper safeguards.
Regulator cites lack of consumer protection and oversight
According to Spelinspektionen, all sanctioned parties breached multiple legal standards. These included failing to ensure consumer protection, using aggressive or non-compliant marketing, and not conducting gambling in a safe, responsible, and transparent manner.
The regulator emphasised that telephone sales were not carried out under controlled and traceable conditions. This meant that the agreements to outsource these activities had no legal basis, as they did not meet the integrity standards required under Sweden’s Gambling Act.
Part of broader regulatory push
These enforcement actions come as part of a wider effort by Swedish authorities to strengthen oversight of the gambling sector. Spelinspektionen recently began intensified supervision of licensed gambling operators, requesting detailed information to assess compliance with transparency rules on websites.
This move follows a 2025 report from the Swedish National Audit Office, which criticised the existing supervisory framework. The audit found that current practices fall short of expectations set during the 2019 re-regulation of Sweden’s gambling market.
