Swedish Gambling survey: 71% of Swedes participated in gambling in 2024

February 11, 2025

Swedish Gambling survey: 71% of Swedes participated in gambling in 2024

Sweden’s Spelinspektionen, the gambling authority, published the results of its annual Public Opinion Survey regarding gambling habits in Sweden. Conducted in November 2024 with the aid of research firm Enkätfabriken, over 1,600 people answered the survey questions. The result shows the pervasiveness of gambling, popular games, and knowledge of responsible gambling activities and the reasons why people gamble.

Gambling remains a popular activity

A survey conducted reported that 71 percent of the Swedish population had gambled for money in the past 12 months. From them, an alarming 33 percent said that they gamble once a week. The statistics depict the strong interaction between the country and gambling. The results imply that gambling has not lost its grounds as one of the everyday pastimes in Sweden.

Lotteries and number games lead the market

Lotteries and number games remained the most popular forms of gambling. As the survey reveals, 84 percent of the respondents had played these types of games, and they were therefore the favourite form of Swedish gamblers. The persistence of lotteries can be seen as a preference for known and simple forms of gambling that provide the possibility of winning without requiring deep skills or strategies.

Perception of gambling awareness

The survey also focused on the issues of public attitudes towards whether operators of gambling institutions take responsibility about problems associated with gambling. Only 16 percent of respondents are of the view that operators are fully responsible and 55 percent think that companies do take at least some responsibilities. However, 29 percent said that their companies never took responsibility. Results are mixed showing the commitment by the industry.

Awareness of Spelpaus.se was also another integral part of the survey. A majority of participants were aware that 66 percent knew about the use of Spelpaus.se to help disengage from gaming when needed. Such awareness demonstrates that responsible measures are being successfully marketed to reach the majority population.

Why Swedes choose to gamble

The study looked at the reasons people gamble. The majority of respondents indicated that they played for entertainment, with 69 percent stating they played for fun. The hope of winning big was cited as the primary reason by 40 percent of the respondents. This information suggests that although most gamblers see gambling as a source of entertainment, a substantial percentage are motivated by the possibility of financial gain.

In related industry news, Swedish gambling operator Svenska Spel just released its results for the last quarter of 2024. According to a statement, its Q4 was characteriesd by growth in operating profit at 10.3 percent. Such growth resulted from strong demand for gambling services. The positive development of the financial performance of Svenska Spel indicates the continued strength of the Swedish gaming market, irrespective of regulatory action and responsible gaming programmes.