The Swedish love to do a lot of things, but there is one thing that sits at the top of the list of pastimes and that is betting on their favorite sporting events. This is clearly shown by the fact that Sweden’s gambling market is the 5th largest in the whole of Europe. A lot of Swedish adults enjoy gambling online, with an estimated 60% of the country’s online gambling activity taking place online – the highest percentage in Europe. In the following guide, we are going to take a closer look at the sports betting scene in Sweden.
Sweden’s Online Sports Betting Scene
Sweden was one of the first countries in the European Union that realized the huge potential that can come with online gambling, and the passed rules and regulations back in 2001 to address this ever-growing industry. With a population that stands at a little over 10 million, the online gambling scene in Sweden is growing at a huge rate thanks to the government’s decision in 2019 to bring in a set of new gambling regulations that permit foreign betting companies to set up within Sweden. Before these new regulations were passed in 2019, Svenska Spel, a state-owned betting company, were the only ones that were allowed to provide Swedish gamblers with different kinds of gambling.
Nowadays, with regards to sports betting in Sweden, Swedish sports betting fans have plenty of fantastic sports betting sites that they can register with, which is responsible for the surge in the numbers of those placing bets on sports. People usually wonder if it is legal for them to be placing bets at a sportsbook, and despite the fact that Sweden has strict gambling laws and regulations, they are mostly in place for the gambling companies to adhere to and not their players. Therefore, we can say that it is legal for Swedes to place bets online, but all Swedish betting sites have to have a Swedish license if they want to be considered legal.
The Sports That Swedes Love
The Swedes love their sports, and it has been estimated that around 50% of the population take part in some kind of sport. Some of the more popular sports that the Swedes love to play and place bets on are football, horse racing, basketball, handball, golf, and ice hockey. You will probably not be too surprised to hear that football is at the top of the list with regards to sport betting, with the likes of handball and horse racing not that far behind.
How Swedes Can Select a Great Online Bookmaker
When you are searching for the best betting sites online, you have a number of things that you should keep right at the forefront of your mind, and we are going to take a look at these right now.
For a perfect betting experience, especially for those living in Sweden who are not Swedish, you should find a bookmaker that has features that are similar to the top sports betting sites in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom betting scene is considered by many to be the scene that all gambling operators should look towards for inspiration. With your standard British bookie, you will definitely get data and fraud protection as well as 24-hour customer care.
Choose a bookie that accepts Euro, Sterling, or Swedish Krona so that you so not have to pay any high exchange rate fees. Most Swedish bookmakers that you encounter will give you the option of betting using Euros or Swedish Krona. It is very important that you consider the different currencies that are accepted when registering with a sportsbook as you definitely do not want to fall foul of exchange rates when you place a deposit.
Search for the bookies that have the best odds available. When you bet on sports, it is important that you bet with the best odds possible as this will make sure that you get proper value for your hard-earned money. The higher your odds, the larger your profit will be if your wager happens to be a winner. You should use comparison websites like bettingonlinesverige.se to make sure that you are registering with a sportsbook that provides the best odds possible.
Pay close attention to the different bonuses and promotions being offered. Bonuses and promotions are not created equally, but all Swedish bookmakers that you encounter will have their own bonuses as a means of trying to entice new customers to open an account with them. Thus, it is important that you so a little bit of research before fully committing to a sportsbook by depositing your money with them. You definitely do not want the annoying scenario where you sign up with a bookie only to then quickly find out that there are others offering better bonuses.
Best Betting Sites for Swedes
When it comes to sportsbooks, it is fair for us to say that Swedish sports betting fans are spoiled for choice. Since the Swedish government removed Svenska Spel’s rights to have the lottery on sports betting in Sweden, many more online sportsbooks have decided to accept sports betting fans from Sweden.
We all love having variety in life, but when there is a lot of it, things can get out of hand pretty quickly. We are pretty sure that you have visited a restaurant before, taken a look at the menu to see what you want to eat, found over 100 different dishes on it, and then sat there for a while trying to figure out what you are going to order. Well, the exact same thing can occur when it comes to choosing a bookmaker to register with.
To help you out a little bit, below you can find a list of what we feel are 10 of the best sportsbooks that Swedish spirts betting fans can register with. Now, we are definitely not forcing you to register with any of the following bookies, but if you opt to heed our advice, we are certain that you will have a very good betting experience. So, without any more delay, let us have a look at some great betting sites for the Swedish gambling population.
- 10Bet
- 888sport
- Betsson
- Bet365
- Mr. Green
- LeoVegas
- William Hill
- Unibet
- Zodiac Bet
- 22Bet
What Swedes Can Bet on in 2024
As we mentioned above, when it comes to betting on sports, football sits proudly at the top of the list. Football, or soccer if you are American, is the world’s most popular sport to bet on since there are plenty of different markets, ensuring that things always remain very entertaining. Below are some of the popular football markets that Swedes like to bet on:
- Team that will win the game
- Team that will win the tournament
- Player to pick up a yellow card
- Player to be sent off
- Player to score first goal
- Player to score anytime
- Both teams to score
- Over/Under goals
- Over/under corner
This is just a tiny selection of the football markets that you can bet on, and these markets and many more will be found at all sportsbooks that are serious about what they do. In June and July of 2024, there are plenty of games for Swedes to bet on since this is when the Euro 2024 will take place. This huge football event was meant to take place in the summer of 2024, but it was postponed a year because of the pandemic.
After the Euro 2024 final on the 11th of July, there is another huge sporting event that will be taking place – the Olympic Games. This, like the Euros 2024, was also meant to happen last year. The Olympics, which are going to be hosted by Japan, will begin on the 23rd of July and finish on the 8th of August. There will be plenty of great sporting events that the people of Sweden can place bets on, and we have listed some of these below for you.
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Softball
- Archery
- Cycling
- Boxing
- Equestrian
- Field hockey
- Fencing
- Rowing
- Tennis
- Football
- Table Tennis
Popular Payment Methods for Swedish Gamblers
Since there are so many different betting sites that Swedes can open an account with, there are many different payment options available too. The most popular method of payment in Sweden is VISA and MasterCard, with Trustly growing in popularity all of the time. Some other popular e-Wallets for Swedish sports bettors include Neteller, Skrill, and PayPal. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are also available.
You will be glad to find out that deposits and withdrawals at online betting sites in Sweden are tax free, which means you do not have to pay income tax on any winnings that you make.