Swedish gambling market expands in first half

Swedish regulator Lotteriinspektionen has announced that revenue from the country’s gambling market increased year-on-year during the first half of 2017.

Overall turnover from the sector amounted to SEK11bn (€1.16bn/$1.38bn), up 3% on the amount generated in the corresponding period last year.

State-owned operator Svenska Spel remains the market leader in Sweden, but did note a 2% year-on-year decline in turnover to SEK4.3bn, despite a 12% rise in online revenue to SEK1bn.

However, in contrast, offshore-licensed firms were able to generate a combined SEK2.65bn in online gaming revenue, thus dominating the country’s internet gaming sector.

This amount represents a 17% increase on the total collected by such operators in the same period last year, as more Swedish consumers turn to offshore firms for online gambling activities.

A recent survey by Mediavision said 61% of all new online gambling accounts in the past year have been registered to offshore-licensed firms.

Bet365 leads the way with 9% of all new accounts, with Kindred-owned Unibet just behind in second place with an 8% share and LeoVegas a close third with 7%.

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