The State of Swedish Online Gambling in 2023 According to its Players

Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gaming Authority, released the latest of its ongoing series of player surveys. The questionnaire intends to bypass the opinions of licensees and people who rely on the industry for their prosperity and find out from the local gambling community how they feel about the current state of online casino entertainment in Sweden.

Setting the Stage

The survey was created and executed by Enkätfabriken, a research firm that prides itself on "investigations that lead to social development". The Swedish Gaming Authority engaged the company to survey the gambling habits of more than 4000 Swedish residents.

The poll participants were split as follows:

✓ Player Regional Split:

1. Stockholm – 23%
2. West Sweden – 20%
3. East Middle Sweden – 17%
4. Southern Sweden – 15%
5. North Middle Sweden – 8%
6. Småland and the islands – 8%
7. Upper Norrland – 5%
8. Middle Norrland – 4%

✓ Players Age Split:

1. 18 to 29 years – 18%
2. 30 to 49 years – 33%
3. 50 to 64 years – 23%
4. 65 years or older – 26%

All participants had to be 18 years or older, living in Sweden, and willing to share their online gambling habits, including frequency of play, spending habits, and opinions on the regulatory authority's ability to manage the market effectively.

By the Players, For the Players

We took the time to review the 62-page survey that Enkätfabriken compiled for the gaming authority. We have highlighted the most essential items for expedience and outlined them below.

✓ Online Gambling Insights:

1. Of the participants, 14% gambled online more than once a week. According to follow-up questions, the most active players were men aged 50-64.
2. Amongst gamblers who played once or twice per quarter, the poll showed that lotteries and number games were the most common, with 38% playing the trot.
3. Autoplay is a popular feature in Sweden, with 44% of participants confirming that they use it when gambling online.
4. When asked how many gaming accounts they use, 30% admitted having two or more active accounts.
5. Spelpaus.se, the self-exclusion site, is known to 75% of participants but only used by 10%.

✓ Gambling at Unlicensed Sites:

1. Around 6% of the respondents admit to intentionally playing at unlicensed casinos.
2. A further 4% said they have unintentionally played at unlicensed operators at some point.
3. Players with four or more accounts who play regularly were found to be the most likely to gamble at black market sites intentionally.
4. Of the respondents, 39% gave better bonus offers as the reason for joining unregulated gambling sites.

✓ Preferred Gambling Games:

1. 56% participated in the national lottery and lotto games.
2. 25% enjoy casino games of chance, such as instant slots.
3. 22% of Swedes bet on trotting.
4. 18% played online bingo games.
5. 15% bet on sporting events.
6. 7% played online poker.
7. 6% played other gambling games online.

You can download the entire research paper from the Swedish Gaming Authority’s website for more insights into the fascinating world of Swedish online gambling.