Survey: 75% of Swedes Have Gambled in the Past Year 

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Xenia Luch

15 January 2024

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sweden gambling

What do Swedes do for fun? According to a new survey by the Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, many of them like to gamble. The survey, conducted at the end of last year, involved 1,538 anonymous phone interviews with people aged 18 and over.

The results show that 75% of Swedes have gambled in some form (including lotteries) in the past year. Lotteries and number games are the most popular, with 74% of Swedes playing them.

But some Swedes gambled too much. Among those who gambled regularly (at least once every 3 months), 47% said they spent more than they should have on gambling last year. Most of the big spenders were young people aged 18 to 29.

Why do Swedes gamble? The main reason is entertainment. The main factors that influenced their gambling choices were the odds of winning and the size of the bet.

But are they aware of the risks? The survey suggests that they are. Almost two-thirds of Swedes (65%) said they knew about the government’s efforts to prevent gambling addiction, such as the self-exclusion registry. And 77% said they were familiar with the country’s main gambling law, which came into effect in 2019.