One in Eight Swedes Gambles Regularly on Foreign Gambling Websites

Around 55% of all Swedes aged between 18-74 gambled monthly during the second half of 2017, Swedish consultancy firm Mediavision said in its latest report on gambling activity in the country. The reported figure reflected an increase from the same period of 2016 when 50% of the nation’s population of age 18-74 were recorded to have gambled monthly.

Mediavision also found that internationally licensed operators were the main driver of growth in demand for gambling services in the Scandinavian country. One in eight Swedes gambled monthly on foreign online gambling websites during the second half of 2017, the media consultant reported. That reflected an increase of 25% from a year earlier.

The likes of Kindred Group, LeoVegas, and Betsson, which are all Malta-based online gambling operators that actually originate from Sweden, were among the biggest drivers of growth in the local gambling market. The companies were also among those to benefit the most from the rising gambling activity.

According to Mediavision the greater portion of new online gambling accounts opened during the second half of 2017 were actually registered with foreign gambling operators. In other words, Sweden’s unregulated online gambling market has continued growing rapidly during the second half of 2017.

The media consultancy also pointed out that customers of foreign gambling operators deposited more money and played more regularly during the reported period as compared to the gambling activity of customers of Sweden’s locally licensed operators.

The country’s regulated market also saw an increase in gambling activity and growing demand for services of this type, but its growth during the second half of 2017 was more modest one, Mediavision reported.

Sweden’s gambling landscape is about to change significantly as the country is planned to introduce its new gambling law on January 1, 2019. The new set of rules would allow foreign operators to apply for licenses for the provision of online casino and sports betting services to Swedish customers. The move is expected to create one of Europe’s largest regulated markets.

Gambling Operators among Sweden’s Biggest Advertisers

A recent report by Swedish research firm Kantar Sifo showed that several gambling companies, including the state-run Svenska Spel, were among the top 20 advertisers on local media in 2017.

The operator that now holds the monopoly over the provision of most gambling services in the Scandinavian nation spent SEK472.27 million (approximately $58.6 million) on different advertising campaigns last year, Kantar Sifo reported.

With advertising spending of SEK443.09 million (approximately $55 million), Kindred Group (previously Unibet Group) was also among the businesses to spend the most on advertising last year. LeoVegas recorded the largest increase in money spent on marketing. The company’s Swedish advertising spending totaled SEK314.02 million (approximately $39 million) last year, up 83.2% from 2016.

According to analysts, the increased advertising spending was part of the gambling companies’ efforts to secure greater brand exposure and recognition ahead of the upcoming opening of the Swedish online gambling market, which is expected to be extremely competitive due to the already enormous demand for gambling services in the country.