Sweden opened a government inquiry on September 3, 2026 to strengthen protections for children, teenagers and young adults against gambling, after official data showed that nearly one in five men aged 18 to 29 display some degree of gambling-related problems.
The review was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (Socialdepartementet) and will be led by lawyer Zandra Milton, appointed as special investigator. Her mandate runs until February 29, 2028 and must produce concrete proposals on marketing, mandatory gambling time limits, checks on the financial capacity of young players, self-exclusion through Spelpaus.se, and casino, lottery and betting-style mechanics found in video games.
Elisabet Lann
The initiative was presented by Elisabet Lann, Minister for Health Care; Niklas Wykman, Minister for Financial Markets; and Nina Larsson, Minister for Gender Equality. The national regulator, Spelinspektionen, based in Strängnäs, is currently headed on an acting basis by Johan Röhr, while Patrik Gustavsson serves as Deputy Director General.
Niklas Wykman
Data from the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) show that the share of men with some degree of gambling problem reached 8.5%, while among men aged 18–29 it stands at around 20%. Severe problem gambling increased from 1.5% in 2021 to 2.2% in 2025, and reaches roughly 8% among young men. The risk begins before age 18: in 2025, 29% of ninth-grade boys had gambled for money, while risky gambling in that group doubled from 5% in 2023 to 10% in 2025.
Nina Larsson
The market operates under the Swedish Gambling Act (2018:1138), in force since January 1, 2019. Sweden already tightened credit rules through reform SFS 2026:90, approved on February 17, 2026 and effective from May 1, preventing operators from facilitating gambling financed through credit.
In 2025, the licensed market generated SEK28.2 billion in NGR, up 1.3%, with more than SEK18 billion coming from online gambling and betting. Channelisation fell from 85% in 2024 to 84% in 2025, while Spelpaus had close to 138,000 registered users at the end of the second quarter of 2026.
