The Swedish Government has launched an inquiry into gambling among children and young adults, with potential measures covering advertising, financial safeguards and access to gambling-like features in video games.
Chief Legal Officer Zandra Milton has been appointed special investigator, with the review due to report by 29 February 2028. It will map gambling habits across licensed and unlicensed operators and assess marketing exposure among younger groups.
The inquiry follows evidence of rising gambling harm among young men. Data highlighted by the Public Health Agency of Sweden showed that almost one in five men aged 18 to 29 had some degree of gambling problems in the 2025 Vanor och konsekvenser study. Problem gambling within the same group stood at 8%.
Separate work by Spelinspektionen has also identified increased gambling among minors. Its 2025 review linked the trend partly to greater exposure to loot boxes, skin gambling, social media promotion and casino streaming.
The regulator found risky gambling among underage boys had increased since 2019, while the corresponding level among girls was unchanged.
The Government's review will examine whether further restrictions are needed on marketing from licensed and unlicensed operators. It will also consider whether vulnerable young people are being identified through gambling and subsequently exploited for criminal activity.
Potential measures include mandatory gambling time limits, assessments of young players' financial circumstances and changes to the support available when a person registers with Spelpaus.
The work comes amid a broader reassessment of Sweden's player-protection framework. Spelinspektionen proposed new responsible gambling regulations in June that would replace LIFS 2018:2.
Under the draft rules, licensees' action plans would need to explain specifically how players aged 18 to 24 receive additional consideration.
The Swedish National Audit Office also concluded in February that the state's work to reduce gambling problems was ineffective. It found that existing guidance did not sufficiently support municipalities in detecting and preventing gambling problems among children and young people.
Health Minister Elisabet Lann said: "Problem gambling is a serious and rapidly growing social problem, especially among young men."
Earlier this week, Sweden extended its anti-money laundering framework to land-based commercial casino operators, requiring affected licensees to introduce customer due diligence, risk assessments and ongoing monitoring from 1 September. The change forms part of a wider period of regulatory revision across the Swedish gambling market.
Swedish law prohibits gambling by people under 18, while licensed operators are prohibited from specifically targeting under-18s with gambling marketing
