SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Effective from 1 January 2025, Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s Gambling Inspectorate will apply new fees and rules on the supervision of licensed businesses under the authorisation of the Swedish Gambling Act 2018.
Key changes see the scope of gambling fees under the Gambling Act broadened to cover the supervision of licenses and permits issued for B2B gambling software providers.
In 2022 the Swedish government approved for B2B licence authorisations to be imposed on software provider servicing Swedish online gambling operators, as a measure sought by the Ministry of Finance.
Taking effect on 1 July 2023, a fee SEK 120,000 (€12,000) was imposed on individual licences of software providers to cover inspection costs of Spelinspektionen. As such the Inspectorate has expanded its approach to introduce a detailed structure of fees and payment terms, ensuring all licensed entities contribute fairly to the regulatory oversight.
The new fee system categorises payments based on the type of licence or permit and, in some cases, the turnover of the business. Licences for B2B software providers are subject to an annual fee of SEK 16,500 (€1,485), applicable to all authorised entities.
Meanwhile, online gambling and betting operators are required to pay an annual fixed fee of SEK 264,000 (€23,760) per licence, ensuring a robust oversight of digital gambling operations.
For lotteries organised for charitable purposes, the fee structure is tiered according to turnover. Lotteries generating turnovers of up to SEK 3 million (€270,000) will pay SEK 15,000 (€1,350) annually.
Those with turnovers between SEK 3 million and SEK 10 million (€900,000) will face an increased fee of SEK 30,000 (€2,700), while operators with turnovers exceeding SEK 1 billion (€90 million) will pay the highest annual fee of SEK 350,000 (€31,500).
Fees for land-based gambling operations, such as casinos, vary according to the scale of the operation. Small-scale casinos with up to five venues are required to pay SEK 3,000 (€270) annually.
The fee increases for larger operations, with establishments operating more than 100 gaming venues charged SEK 850,000 (€76,500). Licences for gambling conducted on ships are subject to an annual fee of SEK 6,000 (€540), while bingo licences feature differentiated fees: SEK 20,500 (€1,845) annually for permanent bingo halls and SEK 1,000 (€90) per event for temporary bingo games.
Under these revised regulations, supervision fees are generally payable in advance for each 12-month supervision period. If a licence is granted for a shorter period, the fee is calculated pro-rata but cannot be lower than 1/12 of the annual fee. In cases where a licence is extended due to administrative or judicial decisions, fees for the additional period will be invoiced retrospectively.
Spelinspektionen has also retained the authority to reduce or entirely waive fees in exceptional circumstances, ensuring fairness in extraordinary situations.
A new structure on fees ensure that the costs of supervision are equitably distributed among all licence holders, while reinforcing the Swedish government’s commitment to maintaining transparency, fairness, and consumer protection in the gambling sector.
