Bet365 claimed top int’l honors in Sweden’s 2018 gambling market

Sweden’s gambling participation rate held steady in 2018 after four straight years of annual declines, while the UK’s Bet365 claimed the international online operator crown.

On Friday, Sweden’s Spelinspektionen regulatory body (formerly Lotteriinspektionen) released its latest annual survey of the nation’s gambling habits, which found 66% of Swedes had gambled for money at least once over the past 12 months. (View the complete survey results here, in Swedish.)

That figure is on par with the 2017 survey but represents something of a break from the prevailing trend. The 2013 survey showed a 76% participation rate, and that number had trended down a point or two in every survey through 2017.

The number of Swedes who admitted gambling in the past week was up three points to 34%, while those who claim not to gamble at all was up two points to 16%. That latter figure is higher than in any of the previous four surveys.