Opening this presentation is BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt, who provides a brief update and introduction on the market from the perspective of Sweden’s primary trade association for online gambling.
Indeed, Hoffstedt underlines as part of his introduction that he will be stepping back from his position for paternity leave as of Q2 2026, with Daniel Valiollahi taking over his position from the 1 April.
Handing over to the ‘gambling minister’ as he is referred to in Sweden, Niklas Wykman, who holds responsibility over the Swedish Government’s online gambling policy, outlines broadly that Sweden’s economy, despite external global geopolitical turbulence, is performing higher than average with regard to GDP forecasts for 2026. Nevertheless, the last year the country saw stable economic growth was 2010 – a factor which, he states, has had a continuous influence on the nation’s gambling market.
Moving forwards, Wykman highlights as a key part of his address that credit gambling is something the organisation is working to tackle, and disagrees with, thinking in the best interest of Swedish consumers. He also underscores that, while he is not totally pro IP-blocking, the BOS has been working closely with the Financial Action Task Force to help curb the issue of fast-loan gambling sites on a broad scale – looking to boost international cooperation in regard to this.
Wykman also discusses that – when it comes to trade policies for potential licensed companies – Sweden cannot go in ‘all guns blazing’ and will have to think any regulations through, explaining that despite this the government does want to make it “easier for companies to come to Sweden to work.”
Overall, Wykman draws an intensified focus on responsible gambling and player protection, specifically surrounding credit gambling – a key point of contention in the Swedish market. He believes that the key could lie in the payments sector, preventing financial transfers and handling cashflows, could drastically curb this broad issue of problem gambling and the illegal market in Sweden.
Crucially, he clarified that there are no plans to further boost gambling tax, as the government recognises that it can serve to strengthen the illegal market – specifying that previous plans to raise taxes on gambling have now been dropped: “I don’t think higher taxes are the way to go.”
Indeed, he cites the UK’s gambling tax hikes as an example of a jurisdiction that has taken a different approach; however, Wykman states that the Swedish Government does not want to leave the industry ‘in shock.’
Sweden formally transitioned away from its previous monopoly market structure in 2019
