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Sweden has opened a wide‑ranging inquiry aimed at reducing gambling harm among children and young adults, with a particular focus on boys and young men.
The government said the review will look at how gambling habits have changed and propose new protections to stop addiction from leading to debt, ill health, or even crime. The inquiry places special attention on boys and young men, who are disproportionately affected by gambling addiction.
Health Minister Elisabet Lann explained the urgency: “Gambling problems are a serious and rapidly growing social problem, especially among young men, who are at risk of being very badly harmed. In just a few years, there has been a doubling of risky gambling among young men and one in five are affected.”
To lead the work, General Counsel Zandra Milton has been appointed as the special investigator. She will compile knowledge about gambling among children and young adults and propose measures that strengthen protection, particularly for young men.
Marketing, criminal exploitation, and gaming features to be examined
The inquiry will also examine how gambling companies market their services to young people. Both licensed and unlicensed operators will be mapped to assess exposure levels and determine if stricter rules are needed.
Another part of the assignment is to investigate whether gambling platforms are being used to recruit vulnerable young people into criminal activity, with recommendations to counter such exploitation if required.
Beyond traditional gambling, the review will look at lottery elements and casino‑style features embedded in computer games, analysing whether further restrictions are necessary to limit access for children and teenagers.
“Boys and young men are greatly overrepresented among those who get caught up in gambling addiction. I am also concerned that the proportion of boys with risky gambling has doubled in recent years,” stated Nina Larsson, the Gender Equality Minister. “We must reverse the negative trend. Preventing young boys from getting caught up in problematic gambling is an important gender equality issue.”
Sweden to consider black market in new reforms
To ensure Sweden’s measures are effective, the inquiry will study regulations in other countries and weigh new protections against the risk of driving players toward unlicensed operators. This comes weeks after Spelinspektionen released its latest figures on channelization, showing that the share of gambling taking place within the licensed system fell to 84% in 2025, a slight decrease from 85% in the previous year.
The new review will also consider practical tools such as mandatory time limits, financial checks for young players, and improvements to the national self‑exclusion service, spelpaus.se.
The government has set a deadline of February 29, 2028, for the investigator to deliver her proposals, with Financial Markets Minister Niklas Wykman calling on both the state and gaming companies to take responsibility.
“A safe and healthy gambling market therefore requires that both the state and the gaming companies take responsibility for strengthening the protection of people who are at risk of harm,” he stated.
