Sweden is moving to shut the door on gambling financed by borrowed money. The government has tabled a bill that would replace the current narrow credit rules with a full ban. The Sweden gambling credit ban would take effect on 1 April 2026 if passed, with enforcement led by the Swedish Gambling Authortiy “Spelinspektionen“ – see the details:

  • What’s changing

    • Licensees and retail agents would be barred from allowing or facilitating play funded by any form of credit, including credit cards and third-party financing.

    • Operators must also take “appropriate measures” to deter credit-funded play, such as disabling card types online and adding clear warnings at point of payment.

  • Scope

    • The rules would apply to all licence-required games and all sales channels – online, retail shops, bingo halls, ships in international traffic and distance sales.

    • For online, operators are expected to remove credit cards and block e-wallet routes that pass through credit, where technically feasible.

    • In shops, staff should refuse credit-card payments when observed and use card-terminal blocks where these can be limited to gambling transactions.

  • Charity carve-out:

    • Spelinspektionen could grant limited exemptions for certain public-interest lotteries (not party political) where alternatives are impractical.

    • Any approved setup must cap a player’s combined credit exposure at no more than 1/40 of the Swedish price base amount (“prisbasbelopp”) which is an annually set government benchmark to calculate benefits, tax thresholds and legal caps.   For 2025, the price base amount is SEK 57,300 (ca. EUR 4,900).

    • In case a charity lottery gets permission to still offer credit-based subscriptions or add-ons, a player’s total credit exposure cannot exceed 1/40 of that benchmark (in 2025: ca. SEK 1,433 or ca. EUR 120). 

  • Practical duty of care

    • The law does not force operators to investigate a customer’s broader finances, but it does require refusal if the operator knows play is being credit-funded.

    • For online play, operators should make sure credit options are switched off by default, while land-based outlets are expected to display clear notices and train staff to refuse credit card payments when they see them.

    • The regulator has made it clear that the Swedish gambling credit ban applies across every channel, no matter where the gambling takes place.

  • Market impact and timing

    • Government analysis expects only marginal revenue effects because credit cards already represent a minority of deposits.

    • Officials argue channelisation risks are limited and point to international comparables in the UK, Norway and Australia.

    • The proposal passed legal vetting without objections and targets an in-force date of 1 April 2026.

    • According to the bill licensees and agents must not allow or facilitate gambling financed by credit.

Please find more news here.