29% of Young Swedish Gamblers Played Online Casino, Regulator Survey Finds
Lotteries and number games ranked first at 47%. Land-based casino games and sports betting were both at 26%. Sweden’s gambling regulator published the results on September 18.
The survey covered 1,939 people aged 18-29. Of them, 1,303 said they had gambled for money during the previous 12 months and continued through the gambling section of the questionnaire. The fieldwork ran from April 22 to May 5, 2026.
Online Casino Was the First Gambling Product for 16%
Casino or slots online were also the first gambling product used by 16% of gamblers in the survey. There was a large age difference. Among gamblers aged 18-24, 20% said online casino or slots were what they played on their first occasion. The figure fell to 8% among those aged 25-29.
Across the full survey sample, 24% of 18-24-year-olds had played online casino or slots during the previous 12 months, compared with 15% of those aged 25-29.
47% Crossed the Survey’s Risk Threshold
The regulator classified 47% of gamblers in the study as having “risky gambling” behavior. The share reached 64% among men and 36% among women.
But that number does not mean 47% were problem gamblers. The full Spelinspektionen report uses a shortened version of the Problem Gambling Severity Index. Four questions are scored from zero to three, giving a maximum of 12 points.
A score of just one point or more puts a respondent into the risky-gambling group. In practice, one “sometimes” response to one of the four questions can be enough.
Streaming Gap Is 63% Versus 10%
The detailed tables also show a sharp difference in gambling-content consumption. Among gamblers above the risk threshold, 38% had watched streamed casino, slots or betting material once or a few times during the previous 12 months. Another 18% watched monthly and 7% weekly.
That gives 63% with any streamed-content exposure, compared with 10% among gamblers outside the risky group.
Details Worth Separating
The report summary describes the 63% figure as monthly or weekly viewing. The underlying table shows monthly plus weekly viewing at 25%, while the remaining 38% watched only once or a few times. For gamblers outside the risk group, monthly plus weekly viewing was 2%.
Loot boxes showed another crossover. Among respondents who had bought and used loot boxes, 69% met the survey’s risky-gambling threshold. Of the same group, 51% had also participated in skin gambling or skin betting.
The survey also shows how often these behaviors appear together. Casino play, gambling streams and loot boxes were not separate groups in the data.