Välkommen till Lotteriinspektionen- www.lotteriinspektionen.se -

Välkommen till Lotteriinspektionen- www.lotteriinspektionen.se -

The Swedish gambling market
The gambling and lottery market in Sweden is regulated. The Swedish parlament has decided that only certain actors are allowed in the Swedish gambling and lottery market, these actors being public benefit organisations, the horse racing industry and the Swedish state. Commercial actors are in principle excluded from the Swedish gambling and lottery market, with the exception of a certain level of entertainment gambling, i.e. gaming with low-value bets and low-value prizes. Such gambling may be carried out by private actors. The profit from lotteries and gambling must also, in principle, be used for the public benefit.

The regulations placed onto the Swedish gambling and lottery market are a result of lotteries, i.e. money gambling, being a phenomenon that can lead to problems, not only for the individual, but also for the general public. To put it simply, a lottery involves one person offering to other people the opportunity to participate in financial gambling, and thus the opportunity to win money. The opportunity for winning is determined by a random factor. Thus, there exists within the lottery phenomenon the possibility for unscrupulous arrangers to exploit a lottery for criminal purposes, such as fraud or usury. Furthermore, lotteries and gambling involve a risk of social and economic problems for the individual. Thus, as a result of their special nature, lotteries have for many years been subject to state regulation in Sweden, and in the rest of the world.

Lotteries in Sweden fall under two acts of parliament: The Lotteries Act (1994:1000) and The Casinos Act (1999:355). The Lotteries Act establishes the general regulation of all lottery operations in Sweden. The Casinos Act regulates casinos that operate using international rules of gambling.