Sweden adopts more stringent measures against illegal gambling

(AsiaGameHub) –   On March 31, 2026, the Swedish government received a full proposal from Spelinspektionen – Sweden’s official gambling licensing regulator – outlining plans to restrict access to unlicensed remote gambling services. The proposal covers both legal and practical enforcement measures intended to more effectively curb unlicensed offshore operators from offering services to Swedish nationals.

Under current legislation, enforcement actions are only permitted when an unlicensed operator actively markets its services in Sweden, for example by using the Swedish language and/or offering payment options that accept Swedish Krona. As a result, carrying out enforcement work is very difficult at present.

The proposal will revise this existing rule and roll out the “Participant Criteria”. This set of criteria will expand regulatory scope to cover all operators that deliver services via their websites to Swedish residents.

As a component of the Participant Criteria, multiple technical measures also need to be rolled out:

• Geo-blocking to restrict access requests originating from Sweden
• Sending automated warning notifications to users subject to access restrictions
• Full service refusal if a user’s location cannot be confirmed

In addition to the measures listed above, further limitations include blocking users who attempt to bypass the restrictions by using a VPN or other similar tools.

Other methods to restrict access for Swedish citizens include:

• Removing Sweden from the list of countries whose residents are eligible to register for accounts
• Blocking Swedish residential addresses, postal codes, and phone numbers with the +46 country prefix
• Stopping any transactions that involve banks based in Sweden
• Rejecting deposit or withdrawal requests processed through Swedish financial institutions

Operators are required to clearly state in their terms of service that Swedish users are not permitted to access their platforms, but regulators emphasize that legal wording alone is not sufficient without supporting technical enforcement. In addition, all marketing content that can be accessed by Swedish audiences must be halted.

The proposed changes are designed to close existing regulatory loopholes and build a more effective system for addressing unlicensed gambling. If put into effect, Sweden will transition to a stricter, technology-focused enforcement model that centers on access controls rather than proof of marketing intent.