Sweden’s gambling market has been through more change in the past five years than in the previous two decades combined. Marcus Eriksson, Senior Content Editor at Casinor.com, has been tracking how Swedish players engage with the market and how tightening rules are reshaping their choices. We sat down with him to get his take on where things stand and where they’re headed.

Gaming Americas: Sweden re-regulated its gambling market back in 2019 with high hopes. How would you describe where things are now?

The re-regulation was genuinely ambitious — the goal was to bring at least 90% of Swedish gambling activity inside the licensed system. In the beginning it worked reasonably well, but the numbers have been slipping. Spelinspektionen reported that channelization fell to 85% in 2024, down from 86% the year before. That gap between where the market is and where the government wants it to be is the central tension right now.

Gaming Americas: What’s driving players outside the licensed system?

A few things. When Spelinspektionen surveyed players who used unlicensed sites, 35% cited better winning opportunities, 21% said they had been blocked through the national self-exclusion register, and 15% pointed to better bonus offers. The licensed market is heavily restricted on bonuses and promotions, and that creates a real opening for offshore operators.

The online casino segment is where this is most visible. Channelization in that vertical is estimated at just 72% to 82%, significantly lower than sports betting. When people talk about Sweden’s channelization problem, they’re really talking about online casino.

Gaming Americas: How has the regulatory environment evolved since 2019?

It’s tightened considerably. The gambling tax was raised from 18% to 22% in mid-2024, and licensing requirements were extended to gaming software suppliers in 2023. Sweden is also looking at a proposed “participation criterion” expected to take effect in January 2027, which would make it illegal for Swedish players to participate in unlicensed gambling regardless of whether the operator is actively targeting Sweden. It’s a meaningful legal shift, and one the industry is watching closely.

Gaming Americas: How do Swedish players respond to these restrictions?

They adapt. When licensed operators can’t offer the bonuses or game variety players want, they go looking elsewhere. On Casinor we cover casinos without Swedish license alongside licensed options, because that’s what players are genuinely searching for. Ignoring that reality doesn’t make it go away.

What we try to do is make sure players understand the trade-offs. A licensed casino comes with deposit limits and regulatory oversight. An unlicensed platform may offer more freedom, but also less protection.

Gaming Americas: The land-based market has also shifted dramatically. How does that factor in?

Casino Cosmopol, Sweden’s last land-based casino chain, closed in 2025 after Svenska Spel decided it was no longer viable. Its closure means virtually all Swedish casino activity is now online. The irony is that land-based revenue was already marginal. In 2024, commercial online gambling and sports betting generated SEK 18.1 billion, while land-based venues brought in just SEK 55 to 66 million per quarter. The weight of the market was already online — Cosmopol’s closure just makes it official.

Gaming Americas: Sweden’s licensed market hit SEK 28.2 billion in 2025. Is the market growing?

Slowly. The 2025 total was up 1.3% on 2024, and Q4 revenue rose 2.6% year-on-year. There’s growth, but it’s incremental. Operators are navigating higher taxes and tighter margins while competing against offshore alternatives that don’t face the same cost base.

Regulators elsewhere have drawn the same conclusion — enforcement against unlicensed offshore operators has become a priority across multiple jurisdictions because licensing frameworks alone don’t fully solve the problem.

Gaming Americas: What regulatory changes do you think will actually move the needle?

The participation criterion is the biggest one. Beyond that, sweeping AML reforms at the EU level are expected to tighten compliance requirements across member states by 2026. The EU’s own Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 sets the direction clearly — stricter cross-border enforcement, tighter KYC standards, and more scrutiny of payment flows. That could meaningfully close the gap between licensed and unlicensed markets over time.

Gaming Americas: What’s your overall read on where Sweden’s market goes from here?

Sweden has built something real. The self-exclusion system had around 134,500 registered users as of late 2025, and the legal framework has teeth. The question is whether the policy choices around taxation and bonus restrictions are calibrated correctly. If licensed operators cannot compete on their merits, enforcement alone won’t close the channelization gap. That conversation is the most important one in Swedish gambling right now, and the broader AML standards taking shape across the industry will also play a role.

Once upon a time, operators would only ever target a single vertical, offering either casino games, poker, or online sports betting. Increasingly, platforms are competing on the overall experience, capturing and retaining players by providing seamless integration between all types of online wagering.

The online gambling industry is constantly adapting to new rises in technology and consumer trends. Data on industry trends in 2026 shows that players are transitioning frequently between verticals. Operators are meeting those needs by providing an entire cross-functional ecosystem to keep players betting within their platform.

Player Behavior Reveals Need for Convergence

Data shows that betting activity follows predictable seasonal cycles. Sports betting volumes increase during major sporting seasons and global events, while sportsbooks typically experience slower traffic during quieter periods in the sports calendar.

Big sporting events pull players away from their usual casino gaming sessions, whereas gamblers are more likely to switch to casino games during the off-season.

Meanwhile, players who primarily gravitate towards casino games experience periodic burnout particularly during downswings. Some will turn to slower paced gambling activities like sports betting when they are having a break from games like slots and roulette.

Platforms that cover all bases capture all the revenue as players move through these cycles, reducing the usual exit moments that a standalone sports betting app or casino would experience. At the same time, the player is more likely to stick around if all their activities are catered for.

Integration Improves Retention

Given that online casino customer acquisition costs are higher than ever, retention is more appealing and important than ever. It’s more cost effective to keep a player than to attract a new one in today’s competitive marketplace.

By facilitating natural crossovers between different activities, gambling sites can use multi-vertical integration to keep customers on board even as their behavior fluctuates.

Online gambling sites like Ozoon Canada function as both casinos and sportsbook operators, allowing players to flip between the two within one integrated platform while using the same account and funds.

Integrated gambling platforms have the competitive edge when it comes to retention and can also offer a broader experience, whereas standalone platforms risk losing revenue and even customers as players move between verticals.

What Makes a Truly Integrated Gambling Platform?

An integrated gambling platform is much more than two products under the same brand name. A truly integrated site features a single login and account, with a unified wallet that works across all gambling activities.

The question to ask is whether you can use money in your account for casino games like blackjack and slots, then instantly switch to placing a sports bet without having to make any complicated transactions. If you can do this at the click of the button with the same wallet, the platform is fully integrated.

Rather than functioning merely as a host for games or sports lines, integrated online gambling platforms have become entertainment hubs for the player.

Where Standalone Operators Still Win

Standalone operators still have their place within the gambling ecosystem. Some players prefer to partake in only one form of gambling over another. In this case, specialist sites can offer a more refined game selection and easy to use interface.

On top of that, focusing on one type of gambling vertical, whether that’s online casino games, sports betting, or online poker, allows sites to develop a strong brand identity, bonus offering, and marketing campaign targeted at a select group of players.

Niche sportsbooks in particular will usually offer feature content on sports events, strategic breakdowns of matches, and deep dives into odds. This added focus appeals to analytic sports enthusiasts who like to do their research, less so to casino players who have just jumped off the roulette wheel.

The Next Phase of Online Gambling Integration

The central component of an integrated online gambling platform is that players can use a single account and wallet. There are also several additional ways that sites can offer an integrated experience across the key gambling verticals.

The first is to have shared features such as a single customer support system, site settings, content hub, and responsible gambling tools that apply to both casino games and sports betting. This is becoming the standard approach for multi-vertical platforms.

Another opportunity, one that represents a current and upcoming phase of convergence, is to run integrated bonuses and promotions. This may include shared loyalty programs in which players earn points across all gambling activities, or cross-promotions such as being awarded free spins for betting a certain amount on sports.

Along with giving players extra value when they slide across from one vertical to another, integrating bonuses again improves retention rates by incentivizing players to stay within the platform and make the most of what’s on offer.

From App Store access to police budget disputes, four developments this week reshaped the regulatory and commercial landscape for licensed operators in Brazil

One in ten Brazilian teenagers bet on licensed platforms in 2025

A study commissioned by identity verification platform Unico and conducted by Ipsos with 1,200 young Brazilians between the ages of 10 and 17 revealed that 11% of that population placed bets on betting platforms during 2025.

The highest concentration occurred in the final four months of the year, when 9% of respondents reported having wagered. The data was first reported by Estadão.

The numbers are concentrated in the older age groups and among male respondents. Among boys aged 16 and 17, 20% said they had placed bets online at some point.

Among girls aged 14 and 15, the figure was 14%, more than three times the rate recorded among girls aged 10 to 13, where 4% reported accessing betting platforms or games such as “tigrinho.”

The findings are significant not because they point to failures in the regulated market, but because they highlight what lies beyond it.

Brazil’s licensed operators have been required since January 2025 to implement real-time facial recognition as part of their Know Your Customer procedures, making it virtually impossible for anyone under 18 to register on an authorised platform.

Pix transactions are restricted to accounts matching the platform registration, closing off the use of parents’ credentials.

Operators found in breach face fines of up to R$2 billion and licence revocation.

Luis Felipe Monteiro, CEO for Latin America at Unico, identified the core vulnerability.

“The main challenge today is that much of the internet still operates under fragile age verification mechanisms, based only on self-declaration.

In practice, clicking a button saying ‘I am over 18’ is enough to access different types of content or services,” he says.

Curiosity was the primary reason cited by young respondents for placing bets, mentioned by 41%.

The prospect of easy money was cited by 34%, while the influence of content creators registered at just 9% , a figure that complicates the prevailing narrative around influencer-driven gambling among minors.

The regulatory framework is tightening further.

Brazil’s Digital Child and Adolescent Statute, in force since March 17, requires digital platforms to implement mechanisms to prevent excessive or compulsive use among young people, a provision that explicitly covers betting and digital gaming.

Apple opens the App Store to licensed betting operators in Brazil

In a development the industry had been pushing for since the regulated market launched, Apple updated its App Store policies on May 8 to allow the distribution of fixed-odds betting applications in Brazil.

The change applies exclusively to operators holding a valid licence issued by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance.

The move ends a period in which the iOS ecosystem maintained stricter restrictions for betting apps in the Brazilian market than in comparable regulated markets in Europe.

Those limitations had pushed licensed operators to prioritise mobile web versions and Progressive Web Apps over native applications, a structural disadvantage in a market where smartphones are the primary access point for bettors.

For operators seeking to list their applications, Apple has established a specific review process. Submitting updated app information in App Store Connect without uploading a new version will not trigger a review.

Developers must include Brazilian licence details in the App Review Information section, insert the information in the Notes field and attach supporting documentation confirming operational authorisation.

Applications classified as gambling content must carry an 18+ age rating in Brazil, applied automatically when developers confirm gambling content in the age rating questionnaire.

Apple’s guidelines state that applications must comply with all disclosure and notice requirements under Brazilian law, including age restrictions and gambling risk warnings.

Developers are directed to consult legal counsel on their specific obligations.

The industry’s reading of the update is clear: it represents international recognition of Brazil’s regulatory framework by one of the world’s largest technology companies.

The practical implications extend across commercial strategy.

Mobile already accounts for the dominant share of user access in Brazil, and the availability of native iOS applications opens new possibilities for conversion optimisation, user retention, CRM strategies and push notification campaigns, tools that web-based solutions cannot fully replicate.

The update brings Brazil closer to the operating conditions of established regulated markets in Europe, where licensed operators have long distributed native applications through official mobile ecosystems without restriction.

The full update is available on the Apple Developer News portal.

Brazil’s betting regulator takes the national experience to Bogotá

Daniele Cardoso, Secretary of Prizes and Betting at Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, represented the country at the 10th Ibero-American Gaming Summit, which concluded on May 6 in Bogotá, Colombia.

The event, held under the theme “Latin America: a regulated market driving opportunities,” brought together authorities and representatives from 15 Ibero-American countries alongside global companies and industry associations.

The host institution was Coljuegos, the Colombian gaming regulator linked to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit.

Cardoso participated in the panel “Regulation and Licensing in Latin America: the stability framework,” where she outlined the trajectory of Brazil’s regulatory process and the challenges of building a framework for a market already in full operation at the time the rules were being written.

She traced the legal foundation from Law 13.756/2018 through to Law 14.790/2023, which established the fixed-odds betting regulatory regime, defining the rules for market entry and permanence, the sanctions process, consumer protection measures and mechanisms to address the negative externalities of the activity.

“Participating in international meetings allows us to learn from the experiences of other countries, exchange good practices and improve legal and technological regulatory tools,” Cardoso said.

“This contributes to a safer, more transparent and better protected environment for the bettor.”

The panel also included:

• Luis Filipe Coelho, director of the Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service of Portugal;
• José Luis Pérez, director of Regulation and Registration at Peru’s General Directorate of Casino Games and Slot Machines;
• Juan Carlos Santaella Marchán, director of Puerto Rico’s Gaming Commission;
• Maria de Lourdes Ramírez, General Director of Games and Lotteries of Mexico;
• Marco Emilio Hincapié, president of Coljuegos.

A second panel, focused on responsible gambling as a long-term business sustainability driver, addressed consumer protection as a central pillar of industry operations, with emphasis on the implementation of policies and tools capable of ensuring the viability of the business model while prioritising client protection.

Brazil’s presence in Bogotá reflects the growing weight the country carries in regional regulatory conversations.

With one of the most comprehensive licensing frameworks in Latin America now in its second year of operation, Brazilian regulators are increasingly sought as reference points by counterparts across the region.

Police forces dispute control of betting tax revenues as provisional measure creates internal friction

A provisional measure signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in early April has generated significant tension within Brazil’s federal security forces over the distribution of revenues derived from fixed-odds betting taxation.

The measure directs up to R$200 million to the Fund for Equipment and Operationalisation of the Federal Police’s Core Activities, known by its Portuguese acronym Funapol, with the stated objective of covering health benefits for officers across three federal police forces: the Federal Police, the Federal Highway Police and the Federal Penitentiary Police.

The political framing presented the measure as a shared victory for all three forces.

The legal reality is more complicated. Funapol is structurally and exclusively linked to the Federal Police.

The provisional measure contains no legal guarantee that the funds will be distributed proportionally among the three institutions, a gap that has generated sustained concern within the Federal Highway Police and Federal Penitentiary Police, according to CNN Brasil.

The background to the measure matters.

The government had originally pursued a Constitutional Public Security Fund as the vehicle for this funding, but that project stalled in Congress with insufficient time for approval before electoral legislation restrictions came into force.

The provisional measure , which carries immediate legal force, was the alternative solution. It resolved the bureaucratic obstacle without resolving the underlying dispute over distribution.

The model established by the measure provides for the government to transfer, progressively through 2028, up to 3% of total fixed-odds betting tax revenues to Funapol.

With Brazil’s regulated market recording a GGR of R$37 billion in 2025, the potential scale of those transfers is substantial.

Congressional allies of the Federal Highway Police and Federal Penitentiary Police have responded by introducing amendments seeking to broaden the scope of distribution and prevent the Federal Police from being the sole beneficiary.

The dispute has transformed the measure’s passage through Congress into a legislative battleground, with both forces maintaining active lobbying operations in Brasília to secure equal treatment.

For the betting industry, the episode illustrates a dynamic that has become increasingly visible since the market launched: tax revenues from licensed operators are now large enough to attract political competition over their allocation,  a development that underlines both the scale the regulated market has reached and the institutional complexity of managing it.