Swedish market revenue flat in Q3 as self-exclusion register grows

Sweden’s licensed gambling market generated SEK6bn (£525m) in revenue during the third quarter of 2020, according to the latest data released by the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA). This figure is up just over 1% from the same period in 2019, as revenue rose 2% on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Online gambling operator revenue accounted for more than 60% of this figure, generating SEK3.6bn of the overall market total in Q3. The high revenue comes despite many online operators being subject to temporary Covid-19 online casino measures including a SEK5,000 a week limit on deposits and weekly caps on bonuses. Several high-profile operators have cited links between the restrictions and potential growth of the unlicensed market in Sweden, although the SGA does not provide figures on the unlicensed market. Despite this, the SGA pointed to recent estimates by analysis firm H2 Gambling Capital that a total of between SEK627-740m was generated by companies operating outside the Swedish-licensed environment. State-owned lottery and slots-based operators, including former monopoly operator Svenska Spel, generated SEK1.4bn during Q3, approximately 24% of the overall market revenue total. Svenska Spel’s state-owned Casino Cosmopol outlet endured its second consecutive quarter of zero revenue, with land-based venues operating under heavy restrictions to combat Covid-19. Sweden’s other land-based casinos generated SEK45m during Q3, down 23% year-on-year, with bingo halls also reporting year-on-year declines. However, Sweden’s non-profit operators saw revenue increase by 5% in the same period. A total of 100 operators had active licences in the Swedish market in November 2020, with 72 of these companies being licensed for online gambling or sports betting. Approximately 56,000 people excluded themselves from all Swedish-licensed gambling sites via the Spelpaus self-exclusion platform by the end of Q3, a rise of 7% quarter-on-quarter.