Sweden’s gambling channelisation rate slips to 85% in 2024

Sweden’s gambling regulator Spelinspektionen said the country’s channelisation rate, the share of gambling taking place with licensed operators, fell to 85% in 2024, down from 86% a year earlier.

The report, published on Monday, marked the first use of a new methodology combining player surveys and internet traffic analysis. It included responses from 5,767 players and identified 2,032 unlicensed websites.

Online casino was highlighted as the market’s weakest area, with channelisation estimated at 72%–82%, compared with 92%–96% for betting. Overall, 96% of players were estimated to have participated in Sweden’s licensed competitive market last year.

The regulator has set a long-term target of 90% channelisation. The findings come ahead of a government review of the Gambling Act this month, when investigator Marcus Isgren is expected to propose measures to tighten rules against unlicensed sites.

H2 Gambling Capital, whose data was not used in the study, recently revised its estimate of Sweden’s channelisation rate to 72% from 91%. By comparison, the Netherlands’ gambling regulator KSA reported in July that its own rate had dipped to 93% from 95%. 

Gustaf Hoffstedt, secretary general of the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS), said it was “unacceptable” that approximately a quarter of online casino is being played on unlicensed offerings.

He said: “It is equally unacceptable that this has been accepted by political decision-makers for half a decade, since the channelisation has also been low in previous assessments, without effective regulatory measures being taken.”

Hoffstedt welcomed tougher action against illegal sites but warned that overregulation of licensed operators risked pushing players offshore. “Anyone who understands the gambling market knows that the elephant in the room is that the licensed market is so tightly regulated that it does not appear attractive enough in the eyes of the consumer,” he said.

“Without a review of, for example, the total ban on bonuses and other loyalty programmes, next year’s channelisation assessment from the SGA will also be a disappointment,” Hoffstedt added.