Spelinspektionen has expanded its scrutiny of marketing connected to unlicensed gambling after opening new regulatory cases during the second quarter of 2026.
Several operators corrected their conduct while cases were being processed, allowing the Swedish regulator to close the investigations without further action. Spelinspektionen said the outcomes supported early intervention against businesses suspected of offering gambling without a Swedish licence.
The quarter also included an analysis of how unlicensed operators attract Swedish players. It identified social media, influencer promotions, banners, SMS messages and sponsored search results among the channels used to direct traffic towards gambling sites.
Unlicensed advertising was found to be particularly visible on livestreaming services, gaming platforms and parts of social media.
Spelinspektionen said these environments create greater risks because they are used extensively by young people and minors. Its analysis also found that cookies and other tracking methods can expose people with an existing interest in gambling to targeted promotions.
Most gambling advertising continues to promote Swedish licensees, particularly through established traditional channels.
Oversight is divided between the Swedish Consumer Agency, which supervises marketing by licensed operators, and Spelinspektionen, which handles promotion involving unlicensed businesses.
Spelinspektionen investigator, Ewa Gabrielsson, said: “Marketing is one of several ways for consumers to access unlicensed gambling. Therefore, the work against promotion is an important part of our supervision.”
The action follows the regulator’s June channelisation report, which found that most gambling outside Sweden’s licensing system takes place online.
The report distinguished between operators that actively target Sweden without the required licence and internationally accessible sites that accept Swedish users without directing their operations towards the country.
That distinction remains central to proposed reforms of the Gambling Act. A Government memorandum has proposed replacing the current targeting test with a participation test, under which online gambling would fall within Swedish law whenever a person located in Sweden can take part.
Spelinspektionen said the change would improve its ability to intervene against internationally marketed sites that currently sit outside parts of its enforcement reach.
The regulator will use its review of the first half of 2026 to determine future enforcement priorities.
Spelinspektionen has also extended preventive supervision across Sweden’s physical gambling sector, examining whether Svenska Spel and 12 commercial venue operators continue to meet Gambling Act requirements after licensing.
Licensed operators generated SEK6.7bn ($705m) in gambling revenue during Q1 2026, an increase of 0.8% year-on-year
