Swedish gaming revenue grows to SEK6.0bn in Q1

New figures from the Swedish Tax Authority and gaming regulator Spelinspektionen suggest that net gaming revenue for Sweden’s land-based and online gaming market amounted to SEK6.0bn (£479.9m/€559.0m/$626.0m) in the first quarter of 2019.

The figures, which are based on licensees’ tax returns, are preliminary and likely to be adjusted as more data becomes available. Spelinspektionen also noted that they were not directly comparable with the first quarter of 2018.

They show that Sweden’s regulated online betting and gaming market generated net revenue (player stakes minus winnings) of SEK3.5bn. While this is higher than the SEK3.3bn reported in April, it includes gambling offered on ships.

Svenska Spel’s state lottery and land-based gaming machines monopoly generated revenue of SEK1.4bn in Q1, while a further SEK234m came from its land-based casino operations in the country.

Games for charitable purposes and other national lotteries contributed an additional SEK838m, while land-based commercial games, such as restaurant casinos, generated SEK46m in Q1.

No figures were available for charitable bingo gaming, and no data was provided on revenue from unlicensed operators.

While a direct comparison with the prior year is not possible, the figures do suggest that Sweden is succeeding in channelling players to legal offerings. The SEK6.0bn total for the regulated market in Q1 2019 is higher than total revenue across both licensed and unlicensed offerings in Q1 2018 (SEK5.8bn).

For that period SEK4.1bn came from the regulated market, with a further SEK1.6bn coming from offshore operators.

By the beginning of May 2019, Spelinspektionen had awarded 123 licences to 78 companies. By this point, the total number of players to sign up for the national self-exclusion database Spelpaus had risen to just under 33,000, a significant jump from the 29,975 self-excluded players at the end of the first quarter on March 31.