Gambling participation rates in Sweden fall 6%, new survey finds
Study from the Swedish Gambling Authority reveals 4% of players had gambled online via illegal sites
The number of people gambling in Sweden has dropped 6% in the last year, according to a new survey conducted by the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA).
The survey, commissioned by the SGA and conducted by Swedish marketing firm Novus revealed, that 60% of Swedes gambled for money during the last twelve months, compared to 66% in 2018 and down from 70% in 2013.
A total of 1,600 interviews were conducted over the period, with 4% of all Swedish online players saying they gambled via unlicensed sites.
Svenska Spel is the most popular online site with players, with 63% of survey respondents saying they had gambled there within the last twelve months. Fellow Swedish operator ATG is the next most popular, with 17% of survey participants saying they used the site.
Bet365 was the next most popular site amongst participants, with 4%, followed by Unibet with 3% and Mr Green and Betsson both with 1% of participants.
In a separate survey conducted on behalf of Swedish trade association Sper, just over half of participants (57.9%) said they were satisfied with the gambling industry.
This is an increase of 2.2% on survey respondents responding to the same survey in 2018. A total of 1,500 individuals were surveyed as part of the study.
A total of 60.7% of survey respondents said they felt general confidence in the gambling industry during 2019, an increase of 0.2% on 2018’s figures.
Sper CEO Jenny Nilzon said the figures illustrated that “change takes time” but said she was positive about the small improvement.
“We know that we have a reputation that is not sustainable and unfortunately it will not be better by a public debate that is mainly about gambling problems and aggressive marketing.
But our industry is gathering and taking these issues much more seriously than before. I am convinced that it will lead to a real change,” Nilzon added.