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SBC News talks to Sweden’s LeoVegas for its exclusive World Cup Betting Tour
It’s been a strange few years for Swedish football fans when it comes to the national team.
On paper, the team, which contains two of the Premier League‘s most expensive strikers in Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, looks exactly like the sort that analysts around the world would be tipping as a ‘dark horse’.
But failure to qualify for the last two major tournaments, including very disappointingly missing out on EURO 2024 has maybe sent Sweden down the pecking order for a few who expected big things from them.
With nobody knowing what to expect from Sweden at this World Cup, particularly Swedish natives, SBC News talks to Per Carlander, Director of Sport Strategy at LeoVegas, to get more of an insight into the national team’s campaign – and what the operator is anticipating this summer.
How significant is the World Cup for both LeoVegas and the Swedish market as a whole?
“It’s huge. A World Cup is basically the Super Bowl of our industry, a massive wave of energy and engagement. For the Swedish market, football just has this unique way of taking over the national conversation.
“For us at LeoVegas, it’s the ultimate playground to test our tech. The massive spike in traffic lets us train our data models and fine-tune our personalisation features at a scale you just don’t see during the regular season. It’s a commercial powerhouse, but also a massive opportunity to innovate.”
LeoVegas has been putting a lot more time and effort into upgrading its sports betting product lately. Is the World Cup a chance to prove this has paid off?
“Absolutely, this is our main stage. We’ve historically been known as a mobile-first casino, but we’ve spent the last couple of years rewriting our sportsbook playbook. Today’s bettors want everything to be instant. They expect micro-betting, blazing-fast bet-builders, and zero lag.
“We’ve completely overhauled our backend tech to deliver exactly that. The World Cup is the perfect stress test to show everyone that LeoVegas is now a top-tier home for sports fans, not just casino players.”
BetMGM has built up a strong foundation in Sweden now. Is the World Cup a big chance for the brand to win market share – and how do you plan to achieve this?
“It’s a massive window for us to shake things up. The BetMGM brand has that distinct, premium Vegas energy that people love, but winning market share during a tournament like this isn’t about shouting the loudest or throwing around unsustainable bonuses. It’s about product execution.
“We’re leaning into tailored, hyper-local features specifically built for Swedish fans. If you give users an incredibly slick, intuitive mobile experience when the excitement is peaking, they’re going to stay with you long after the tournament ends.”
Per Carlander. Credit: LeoVegas
In terms of Sweden’s qualification for this year’s World Cup, Arsenal forward and Premier League champion Gyökeres almost single-handedly dragged Sweden through a tense play-off campaign.
The Swedes were far from their best in their qualifying group stage though – winning zero, drawing two and losing four in a group consisting of themselves, Switzerland, Slovenia and Kosovo.
But their Nations League success in Group C1, where they won five and drew one out of six matches, opened up a path to World Cup qualification through the play-offs, with a semi-final against Ukraine awaiting them.
A Gyökeres hattrick set up a showdown with Poland, which will live long in the memory of Swedish football fans, as a late winner from their star front man sent them to the World Cup for the first time since 2018 – a tournament where they reached the quarter finals before being knocked out by England.
Viktor Gyökeres. Credit: Maciej Rogowski Photo / Shutterstock
Turning to trading, who have Swedish bettors been backing? Is there a lot of support for the home team, or are some other countries catching attention as well?
“With Sweden in the tournament, the patriotic hype is off the charts. Our trading desks are seeing massive, heavy backing for the “Blågult” matches, which keeps our risk teams on their toes!
“Outside of Sweden, we always see huge volume on England because Swedish fans have such deep historical roots with English football.
“From a pure trading perspective, favorites like France and Brazil are pulling in the usual heavy outright money, but Swedish punters are sharp; they’re already hunting for smart value on a few dark horses.”
What about player markets? Who do Swedish punters expect to have a top tournament this year?
“Local eyes are definitely fixed on our own stars, so guys like Isak and Gyökeres are seeing massive action in the top-scorer markets. On the global side, Mbappé and Bellingham are dominating the sheets as expected.
“But what’s really interesting from a tech perspective is how popular micro-props have become. Swedish bettors are highly sophisticated; they aren’t just betting on who scores anymore. They’re building complex, multi-leg bets on things like player passes, shots on target, and live match stats.”
Are you expecting the time zones for this World Cup to be disruptive at all? How have you planned for this if so?
“With the games over in North America, we’re definitely looking at some late nights and early mornings for the Swedish audience. But we don’t see it as a disruption; it just extends the party. Because our platform is completely built for mobile, we are perfectly optimised for that “second-screen” experience on the couch or on the go.
“Operationally, our trading, tech, and support teams have shifted into a round-the-clock rhythm to make sure everything runs flawlessly, no matter what time the whistle blows.”
Credit: Andrzej Rostek / Shutterstock
Sweden has been fighting a long battle against the black market since the multi-license market was established in 2019.
Black market net revenue is estimated at around SEK 3.6bn-7.3bn (£290m-£580m), and gross turnover of SEK 60bn-120bn.
Despite this, sports betting channelisation rate sits at a healthy 92-96% basis, but online casino channelisation is way behind at 72-82%, and LeoVegas will ultimately be an operator suffering from this.
Sweden has been having some difficulties with black market and offshore activity lately. Do you expect this to be a problem during the World Cup?
“It’s always a key focus during major tournaments because a World Cup brings in casual fans who might not know the difference between a licensed Swedish site and a shady offshore operator. Unlicensed sites don’t play by the rules when it comes to player safety.
“Our strategy is simple: beat them on product and trust. By offering friction-free BankID sign-ins, instant payouts, and top-tier player protections, we make the regulated ecosystem so safe and smooth that players have zero reason to look elsewhere.”
How does LeoVegas intend to make sure the successes of the World Cup carry over into the domestic season?
“The tournament is just the opening chapter. You want to avoid that classic post-tournament “hangover” where players drop off. We use the smart data insights gathered during the World Cup to understand exactly what each user enjoys.
“When the Premier League, Allsvenskan, and Champions League kick off right after, our automated systems seamlessly transition, serving fans personalised content and tailored club-level markets. It’s all about keeping that premium momentum rolling smoothly into the domestic season.”
World Cup Betting Tour: LeoVegas says patriotic hype is ‘off the charts’ in Sweden
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SBC News talks to Sweden’s LeoVegas for its exclusive World Cup Betting Tour
It’s been a strange few years for Swedish football fans when it comes to the national team.
On paper, the team, which contains two of the Premier League‘s most expensive strikers in Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, looks exactly like the sort that analysts around the world would be tipping as a ‘dark horse’.
But failure to qualify for the last two major tournaments, including very disappointingly missing out on EURO 2024 has maybe sent Sweden down the pecking order for a few who expected big things from them.
With nobody knowing what to expect from Sweden at this World Cup, particularly Swedish natives, SBC News talks to Per Carlander, Director of Sport Strategy at LeoVegas, to get more of an insight into the national team’s campaign – and what the operator is anticipating this summer.
How significant is the World Cup for both LeoVegas and the Swedish market as a whole?
“It’s huge. A World Cup is basically the Super Bowl of our industry, a massive wave of energy and engagement. For the Swedish market, football just has this unique way of taking over the national conversation.
“For us at LeoVegas, it’s the ultimate playground to test our tech. The massive spike in traffic lets us train our data models and fine-tune our personalisation features at a scale you just don’t see during the regular season. It’s a commercial powerhouse, but also a massive opportunity to innovate.”
LeoVegas has been putting a lot more time and effort into upgrading its sports betting product lately. Is the World Cup a chance to prove this has paid off?
“Absolutely, this is our main stage. We’ve historically been known as a mobile-first casino, but we’ve spent the last couple of years rewriting our sportsbook playbook. Today’s bettors want everything to be instant. They expect micro-betting, blazing-fast bet-builders, and zero lag.
“We’ve completely overhauled our backend tech to deliver exactly that. The World Cup is the perfect stress test to show everyone that LeoVegas is now a top-tier home for sports fans, not just casino players.”
BetMGM has built up a strong foundation in Sweden now. Is the World Cup a big chance for the brand to win market share – and how do you plan to achieve this?
“It’s a massive window for us to shake things up. The BetMGM brand has that distinct, premium Vegas energy that people love, but winning market share during a tournament like this isn’t about shouting the loudest or throwing around unsustainable bonuses. It’s about product execution.
“We’re leaning into tailored, hyper-local features specifically built for Swedish fans. If you give users an incredibly slick, intuitive mobile experience when the excitement is peaking, they’re going to stay with you long after the tournament ends.”
In terms of Sweden’s qualification for this year’s World Cup, Arsenal forward and Premier League champion Gyökeres almost single-handedly dragged Sweden through a tense play-off campaign.
The Swedes were far from their best in their qualifying group stage though – winning zero, drawing two and losing four in a group consisting of themselves, Switzerland, Slovenia and Kosovo.
But their Nations League success in Group C1, where they won five and drew one out of six matches, opened up a path to World Cup qualification through the play-offs, with a semi-final against Ukraine awaiting them.
A Gyökeres hattrick set up a showdown with Poland, which will live long in the memory of Swedish football fans, as a late winner from their star front man sent them to the World Cup for the first time since 2018 – a tournament where they reached the quarter finals before being knocked out by England.
Turning to trading, who have Swedish bettors been backing? Is there a lot of support for the home team, or are some other countries catching attention as well?
“With Sweden in the tournament, the patriotic hype is off the charts. Our trading desks are seeing massive, heavy backing for the “Blågult” matches, which keeps our risk teams on their toes!
“Outside of Sweden, we always see huge volume on England because Swedish fans have such deep historical roots with English football.
“From a pure trading perspective, favorites like France and Brazil are pulling in the usual heavy outright money, but Swedish punters are sharp; they’re already hunting for smart value on a few dark horses.”
What about player markets? Who do Swedish punters expect to have a top tournament this year?
“Local eyes are definitely fixed on our own stars, so guys like Isak and Gyökeres are seeing massive action in the top-scorer markets. On the global side, Mbappé and Bellingham are dominating the sheets as expected.
“But what’s really interesting from a tech perspective is how popular micro-props have become. Swedish bettors are highly sophisticated; they aren’t just betting on who scores anymore. They’re building complex, multi-leg bets on things like player passes, shots on target, and live match stats.”
Are you expecting the time zones for this World Cup to be disruptive at all? How have you planned for this if so?
“With the games over in North America, we’re definitely looking at some late nights and early mornings for the Swedish audience. But we don’t see it as a disruption; it just extends the party. Because our platform is completely built for mobile, we are perfectly optimised for that “second-screen” experience on the couch or on the go.
“Operationally, our trading, tech, and support teams have shifted into a round-the-clock rhythm to make sure everything runs flawlessly, no matter what time the whistle blows.”
Sweden has been fighting a long battle against the black market since the multi-license market was established in 2019.
AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) has estimated that Sweden’s channelisation rate stood at between 72-84% in Q4 2025 – a low figure compared to the majority of European jurisdictions’ targets of 90%.
Black market net revenue is estimated at around SEK 3.6bn-7.3bn (£290m-£580m), and gross turnover of SEK 60bn-120bn.
Despite this, sports betting channelisation rate sits at a healthy 92-96% basis, but online casino channelisation is way behind at 72-82%, and LeoVegas will ultimately be an operator suffering from this.
With a YouGov poll stating that 35% of the country is now looking forward to the tournament, it will be critical for operators to keep bettors on the regulated side of the market.
Sweden has been having some difficulties with black market and offshore activity lately. Do you expect this to be a problem during the World Cup?
“It’s always a key focus during major tournaments because a World Cup brings in casual fans who might not know the difference between a licensed Swedish site and a shady offshore operator. Unlicensed sites don’t play by the rules when it comes to player safety.
“Our strategy is simple: beat them on product and trust. By offering friction-free BankID sign-ins, instant payouts, and top-tier player protections, we make the regulated ecosystem so safe and smooth that players have zero reason to look elsewhere.”
How does LeoVegas intend to make sure the successes of the World Cup carry over into the domestic season?
“The tournament is just the opening chapter. You want to avoid that classic post-tournament “hangover” where players drop off. We use the smart data insights gathered during the World Cup to understand exactly what each user enjoys.
“When the Premier League, Allsvenskan, and Champions League kick off right after, our automated systems seamlessly transition, serving fans personalised content and tailored club-level markets. It’s all about keeping that premium momentum rolling smoothly into the domestic season.”