Discover how Swedish casino licenses work. We explain what Spelinspektionen (SGA) licenses are, how they differ from others, and how to verify them before you play.
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The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) is known as the Spelinspektionen in Sweden, and it was established back in January 2019 after the country’s new Gambling Act came into effect. A Spelinspektionen license is the official legal gambling license of the government of Sweden. The authority regulates all forms of gambling in the country, including online casinos, sports betting, lotteries, and more.
The Spelinspektionen issues SGA licenses to select iGaming operators who meet the criteria described in the 2018 Gambling Act. This law and the 2018 Swedish Gambling Ordinance make up the backbone of the country’s gambling regulations. The Ministry of Finance and Swedish Police Authority play a key role in amending and enforcing Swedish gambling laws.
Since 2020, the SGA has worked closely with the Netherlands Gambling Authority (or the Kansspelautoriteit), with both regulators signing a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their cooperation.
There are technically six types of SGA licenses available to operators. Online casinos must hold a commercial online gambling license and/or a betting license, depending on the exact games they offer. Most online casinos have both.
The Swedish government has a monopoly on all forms of gambling in the country. This ensures that casinos and sportsbooks are paying their fair share of taxes and that they are not unfairly taking advantage of players. An SGA license signals to online casino players that a casino is legal and operating within this existing framework.
To be more specific, seeing an SGA casino license gives players peace of mind about their security and about the games they are playing. The Spelinspektionen only issues licenses to legit online casinos with proven track records. The agency also ensures that casinos have fair games decided by random number generators (RNGs). In addition, licensed casinos must protect player data with state-of-the-art encryption technology and firewalls.
Finally, an SGA license provides support to online casino players should they ever feel ripped off. The license is essentially an agreement between the casino and the Swedish government, saying that the casino can offer casino games if it agrees to be bound by Swedish law. As a part of this agreement, there is a clear process for players to get compensated if a licensed site breaks the law. No such pathway exists for unlicensed sites.
As Sweden’s national gambling regulator, the Swedish Gambling Authority operates a little differently from international regulatory bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), which oversees gambling operators across multiple jurisdictions. It shares more similarities with regulators like the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), another country-specific gaming authority with strict standards. Here’s how the Spelinspektionen compares:
SGA license holders must pay a 22% tax rate on gambling revenues, significantly more than Malta’s 5% gambling tax, but similar to the UK’s 21% tax on casino gaming profits.
The SGA requires strict adherence to anti-money laundering and financial reporting laws. SGA requirements are similar to the UKGC, but more robust regarding player protection policies than smaller jurisdictions like the MGA.
Sweden is a popular market for casino software providers, so the government has developed special SGA licenses for B2B companies offering services to online casinos but not to players directly. This is similar to the UKGC’s Remote Gambling Software Supplier Licence and MGA’s Critical Gaming Supply Licence.
The Swedish government has a database of all 4,000+ active gambling licenses available on the official Spelinspektionen website. You can quickly and easily verify the validity of any SGA casino license by looking up the casino name on this database.
Alternatively, you can look up the web address, license number, or the casino’s parent company to discover more about its license status. The SGA also has a list of banned online casinos available under the “Förbud” section of its website.
Similarly, any reputable SGA casino should clearly list its Spelinspektionen license at the bottom of its website, alongside other helpful information about its parent company, responsible gambling resources, and more. If you come across an unlicensed site claiming to have an SGA license, you should report it. You can do this on the Spelinspektionen website as well.
The Gambling Tax Act, Anti-Money Laundering Act, and a handful of other laws were amended to adjust to legal online gambling in Sweden. However, by and large, Swedish gambling laws have remained largely unchanged since the Swedish Gambling Act and Swedish Gambling Ordinance were passed in 2018.
Rather than changing the rules for SGA license holders, Swedish lawmakers have been primarily concerned with how to ensure players are using licensed sites instead of illegal, unregulated online casinos.
In February 2025, the Swedish Ministry of Finance ordered a full review of the 2018 Gambling Act focused on cracking down on unlicensed operators. In September 2025, as a result of this review, the government revealed their findings in a new report. This report suggested closing a loophole regarding English-language advertising in Sweden and advocated for strengthening player protection policies to reduce bonuses and ban casinos from offering lines of credit.
The ban on casino credit is expected to come into effect in April 2026, along with expanded criminal penalties for unlicensed operators. The report’s other suggestions are still being debated.
What is the SGA license?
The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) license is a legal gambling permit issued by the Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s top gambling authority. All online casinos in Sweden must have an SGA license and follow the country’s other advertising and anti-money laundering laws.
Are players from all countries allowed to use SGA casinos?
No, not necessarily. The Spelinspektionen only regulates Swedish online casinos, so SGA casinos are only accessible to Swedish players. However, several sites with SGA licenses are available in other countries with different licenses. This means you may be able to play at certain SGA sites outside of Sweden, but you won’t be using the same site as the one available in Sweden.
How can I check if a casino’s Spelinspektionen license is valid and up to date?
The Spelinspektionen maintains a list of all active SGA casinos on its website. You can use the name of the casino, its web address, license number, or the name of its parent company to look up the casino and verify that its license is up to date.
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