Best Betting Sites for Sweden Players Rated by Industry Experts
Choosing a great betting site in Sweden is perhaps a bit more complicated than it may seem.
If you’re going to be playing regularly, or in some cases daily, it’s imperative that you pick a really good sports betting site to avoid disappointment and a poor experience. Or worse still, you lose your money without getting a fair crack of the whip.
Finding the best sites is, unfortunately, hard work, especially if you’re not entirely sure what to look for.
We’ve been at this game of reviewing sportsbooks all around the world for years now, and our team of proper, seasoned industry veterans have seen it all before and knows better than just about anybody what makes a great online sports betting site and what doesn’t.
That includes realising that not all geographical betting markets see sports betting in the same way and that what matters to UK gamblers may be very different to what matters to their Swedish counterparts.
How We Rate Sweden Betting Sites
A lot of what you’ll read about here is extremely specific to Sweden, its gambling laws and the wants and needs of its sports betting customers. But here’s something that isn’t. Our criteria when it comes to reviewing sportsbooks are always exactly the same, irrespective of the market in question.
We have some major considerations when it comes to reviewing sportsbooks that are always the most relevant to you, the customer. They are as follows:
- Bookie’s licence: We’ll start with a rather complex one. We need to approve every betting site under a gambling licence. To be fully compliant, betting sites open to Swedish customers must apply for and be granted a Swedish betting licence. That said, it’s currently not illegal for Swedes to open accounts at offshore sites which don’t hold a Swedish one, although the Swedish government is trying to clamp down on them when it comes to this. We prefer that they hold one of the two most reputable licences: those of the UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority.
- Reputation: Our assessment of a site's reputation hinges on two key factors. Firstly, we scrutinise the frequency of a Sportsbook's appearance in our Customer Complaints Section, examining the nature of complaints and the satisfaction of complainants with the resolution process. We also delve into player reviews, seeking insights from users who have firsthand experience.
- Security: The reliability of a betting company hinges on its stringent security protocols. Premier sites prioritise the protection of funds and personal data, employing essential certifications and cutting-edge protective software that encrypts user data, mirroring the security standards of banks. Whether expediting swift withdrawal processes or conducting thorough Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, every facet of security demands attention, forming the bedrock of a dependable and trustworthy betting site.
- Betting bonuses and promotions: We like bonuses that give you real value, the ones you actually want and are reasonable regarding wagering requirements. The more frequent, the better and the more unique, the better.
- Number of sports/markets: The more sports Sweden betting sites have to offer bets on, the better. After all, there will be some punters out there who enjoy darts, netball or field hockey rather than being like most others who like betting on tennis, football and ice hockey. It’s also important that there are lots of competitions within those sports and a good variety of betting markets within those.
- Payment options: Again, the more payment options that the best betting sites in Sweden have, the better. If there are 30 on offer, each and every customer is likely to find at least one that suits them. As a very minimum, the betting sites in Sweden should offer those that are the most popular among Swedish players if they wish to attract new players.
- Betting odds: For the gambler for whom their P and L are extremely important rather than an afterthought, this aspect takes precedence. They’re the single biggest factor when it comes to your bank balance. If a betting site consistently provides odds surpassing competitors, it earns a commendation, while consistently offering lower odds tarnishes its reputation.
- Customer support: An often underrated yet vital element of the best betting sites Sweden is this one. Even the very top sites will have instances of customers having issues to resolve, such as a deposit not going through or a problem with the verification process. All of this means being available almost 24/7 is important, as is reaching CS via several methods, including e-mail, live chat and phone. Once you do get in touch, you want agents who are friendly, polite, supportive and, above all, efficient when it comes to resolving your issues.
How to Choose a Top Swedish Betting Site Based on Your Betting Preferences
Betting preferences generally mean three things: the sports you want to bet on, the markets within those sports (number of goals, player props, etc.) and any special features you enjoy, such as Bet Builders or Yankee bets. Whatever your unique betting preferences are across those three, you obviously want a site that covers all three in every possible way.
Sometimes, that just won’t be possible, so the next best thing is to perform the following exercise: write down your three most important preferences for each of those three categories. Once you’ve made a shortlist of 4-5 of the best betting sites Sweden based on our reviews, check how many boxes on your list those sites check. The more the better, but if the number is less than half, it might be worth considering looking at another site that meets your betting preferences.
How Is Sports Betting Regulated in Sweden
Since 2019, all forms of gambling, including online sports betting, have been fully regulated in Sweden. Any sports betting operator wishing to be present and open for business to accept Swedish customers needs to apply for the relevant licence(s), which are valid for a five-year period. Many of the biggest names in the industry did just that as soon as the option was first made available.
Prior to 2019, the situation was very simple when it came to online sports betting: there was a state monopoly called Svenska Spel, which was the only body legally allowed to offer odds on sports events to Swedish customers.
All that changed in 2019 when the 2018 Gambling Act came into force. Tasked with putting it into practice alongside the Act on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Measures (2017) and the Act on the organisation of certain automatic games (1982) was the Swedish Gaming Authority, or Spelinspektionen, if you prefer.
Part of the process was (and is) to invite any sports betting company to purchase the relevant betting licences to operate in Sweden and attract Swedish customers. Normally, that means purchasing a joint licence for betting and online gambling in Sweden. If granted, the licence(s) are valid for five years and will need to be renewed at the end of that period if the operator wants to and if Spelinspektionen chooses to do so.
There are then special rules put in place that determine what the betting site can do, especially when it comes to such things as advertising, which puts a particular emphasis on ‘moderation’.
Part of the advertising element is that promotions cannot be directed specifically at people under 18 or those who have chosen to self-exclude in the past. And speaking of under 18s, Sweden betting sites cannot offer betting on sports events where the vast majority of the participants are under that age, which means youth football for example, popular for betting on in the UK, isn’t allowed.
These are the requirements in order to be compliant with a Swedish betting licence:
- Using a .se top-level domain
- Deposits, withdrawals and winnings are made in Swedish currency (Swedish krone)
- All information is presented in Swedish
- There is Swedish customer service/frequently asked questions
- The logo of the regulator Spelinspektionen and the self-exclusion service Spelpaus.se are prominently displayed
In terms of tax, customers don’t have to pay any. But, predictably, given that taxation was one of the prime reasons for the regulation of the market, the betting operators do. It’s best explained by accountancy firm KPMG: “The new Swedish Gambling Tax stipulates that profits from taxable gambling will be subject to an excise duty of 18%, calculated on the difference between the total stakes and the total payouts of Swedish players during a taxable period, i.e. one calendar month.”
So, where does this leave foreign sites that aren’t in possession of a Swedish betting license?
The answer is that Swedes aren’t forbidden to access them at all, nor are there repercussions towards anyone doing so. Interestingly, it’s not much of an issue because they mostly choose not to anyway. According to research by Spelinspektionen, just 7% of active Swedish gamblers said they had played at a site that didn’t have a Swedish licence.
How Often Do We Add Sweden Betting Sites?
Irrespective of the market in question, there’s never an exact figure like ‘every month’ or ‘every three months’. It really depends.
The first thing we’ll keep an eye on is betting sites that have recently acquired a Swedish betting licence. This is the ideal scenario. But we’ll also monitor betting sites that have recently started accepting Swedish customers, despite not being in possession of a Swedish betting licence. As we’ve just seen, there’s nothing illegal about this.
The next step is to go through our usual process of analysing the eight key elements of these sportsbooks in fine detail and giving them marks for each of those eight categories, before then giving them an overall mark to see if they make the cut in terms of our list of recommended Swedish betting sites.
Most Popular Payment Options for Sports Betting in Sweden
The best betting sites in Sweden seek to offer as many payment options as possible to give customers as much choice as they can when it comes to getting their money in and out. Here are some of the most popular ones.
- BankID: Let’s kick things off with the one that’s unique to Sweden. BankID is a widely used electronic identification system in Sweden. It allows users to verify their identity securely online, offering a convenient and efficient way to access various services and conduct transactions. Linked to individuals' bank accounts, BankID enables swift and reliable identity verification, reducing the need for physical paperwork. Interestingly, it’s a legal requirement of any Sweden betting site to offer BankID as a payment method.
- Visa: It’s very rare where we come across a country where Visa doesn’t feature on the list and Sweden is no exception. A globally recognised credit and debit card provider, it extends well beyond betting. Renowned for efficient payment processing and robust security, Visa operates at a brisk pace and is accepted at just about any betting company in the world, which are other advantages.
- Skrill: Formerly recognized as Moneybookers, Skrill has become a popular payment option worldwide among online betting enthusiasts, particularly among Swedish customers, who are generally big on all forms of e-wallets. Valued for its intuitive interface, stringent security protocols, and widespread acceptance among online sportsbooks, Skrill ensures quick, uncomplicated, and secure transactions.
- Bitcoin: It’s not just e-wallets that Swedes have embraced; the same could be said of Bitcoin. It’s steadily becoming a favoured decentralised and secure payment choice at Swedish betting sites. Users value the autonomy and anonymity it affords, especially for those prioritising privacy in financial dealings. Other cryptocurrencies are gaining popularity as well.
Most Popular Sports Betting Competitions and Sports in Sweden
When it comes to favourite sports to bet on, Sweden is quite a curious mix of loving most of the usual sports that punters from most other countries do, combined with some typically Scandinavian sports that may not be quite as popular in other countries. Here are the top ones.
- Football: The recent retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, generally regarded as Sweden’s greatest-ever player, may mean that Swedes don’t really have a global footballing superstar to cheer on anymore, but that certainly hasn’t affected their appetite for betting on the world’s most popular sport. As is the case with other countries, the favoured domestic leagues to bet on are their own (the top-tier Allsvenskan and second-tier Superetten) in addition to other popular European leagues and competitions.
- Ice Hockey: Going toe-to-toe with football for the privilege of being the most successful sport to both watch and bet on in Sweden is ice hockey. Similar to football, the top domestic league (which, in this case, is the SHL) is as loved as the top league in the world regarding hockey: the US/Canadian-based NHL. At the international level, the men’s team is considered to be part of the ‘Big 6’ and is always extremely competitive at both the World Championship and Winter Olympics.
- Handball: If you’ve never heard of this sport, you’re probably not the only one. It’s mostly played in Northern Europe, though countries like Spain and France have also traditionally been extremely strong in it. The 14-team domestic league called the Svenska Handbollsligan sees lots of betting action, while the biggest international competition, where Sweden is always among the favourites, does as well.
- Golf: For a country where it’s so popular to play and follow on television, world-class Swedish golfers have been few and far between these last two decades, with only one-time Major winner Henrik Stenson and former Ryder Cup man Robert Karlsson among those of real note. However, the two traditional Tours, the DP Tour and the PGA, bring in considerable business. As with every other golf-loving country, the Majors have the most money bet on them, as does the Ryder Cup every two years.
Future of Online Sports Betting Sites in Sweden
The signs are that Sweden is mostly a big success story when it comes to the regulation of a market and that plenty has been achieved within the first five years of that regulation process. Licensed operators who choose to renew their licences are proof that the market is blossoming.
But that’s not to say it’s all plain sailing. One of the biggest bugbears among foreign sites that hold the betting licence comes from the advertising restrictions and bonus limitations.
However, there are ways to attract new customers, and Sweden is an up-and-coming market, so we can’t wait to see what the future brings to bettors in Sweden.
