Sweden Tightens the Ban on Gambling on Credit: What Changes for Operators and Players

The national regulator, the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen), announced this in its news section (publication date 17 February 2026). Below is a concise, practical overview for anyone tracking European iGaming.

Source: Utökat förbud mot spel på kredit – Spelinspektionen

Who is covered

The rules apply to all licence holders under Spelinspektionen and to gambling agents (spelombud), regardless of how the product is offered (online, retail, and so on). Games that do not require a licence – the regulator cites municipal registration lotteries as an example-fall outside the new provision.

What counts as “credit”

The ban is not limited to “using a credit card at the counter.” Deferred payment in general is in scope, including:

• Credit cards issued by banks;
• Bank loans;
• Invoice or buy-now-pay-later-style arrangements;
• Loans from family or other close relations (lån från närstående).

So the logic is broader than blocking a card brand: it targets how the stake is funded, not only which payment method appears on the statement.

What operators must not do

Licence holders and agents still may not themselves grant or offer credit for stakes. They must also not facilitate third parties offering credit for gambling including steering customers toward a lender.

If an operator knows or becomes aware that a stake is being paid with borrowed money, they must refuse that payment. The regulator notes that such knowledge might come from the player, from duty-of-care work, or from anti–money laundering processes.

The law does not require operators to investigate the source of every payment: there is no obligation to probe each transaction where there is no reason to believe credit is involved.

What measures are expected in practice

The standard is appropriate steps (lämpliga åtgärder) to prevent gambling on credit, with specifics depending on the sales channel:

• for online payments, the guidance explicitly mentions blocking credit cards as a payment method;
• for in-person sales, informing customers of the ban in an appropriate way.

Spelinspektionen stresses that each licence holder must review its own payment flows and processes and tailor measures accordingly.

Exceptions

Spelinspektionen may grant exemptions for lotteries run for charitable or public-interest purposes (under the relevant chapter of the Gambling Act) where there are special grounds and a cap on aggregate credit is respected (the authority cites 1/40 of the price base amount – around SEK 1,480 in 2026 for total credit under the exemption). Even with an exemption, operators must still take steps to counter gambling on credit. Exemptions must be applied for; there are further details for existing licences and licence terms in the regulator’s Q&A on the same page.

The market angle in brief

Sweden is doubling down on the principle that gambling should be funded only from money already available, without deferral and without lenders in the deposit chain. For operators, that implies payment-stack changes, updates to AML and safer-gambling processes, and frontline training. For analysts, the usual questions apply: short-term GGR effects and whether some players drift to less transparent channels – these are market narratives, not statutory text.

Spelinspektionen states that further guidance may be issued as needed.