Where to play? See utan-spelpaus.com. This page is not for UK players. UK players please visit our front page or go to UK Bookmakers. Players from other countries will found playable casinos at Casizon.com.
Since you landed on this page, we’re guessing you want to to know about Swedish online casinos without a license. Perhaps, you’re simply curious whether there are alternative online casinos that are less strict. Obviously, those do exist. Can you play at these kinds of casinos? Absolutely! However, you have to be extra careful in finding the right one if you want to enjoy their platforms.
There are pros and cons to consider. These casinos can also provide exciting bonuses and other promotions just like in regular licensed Swedish casinos. Popular payment methods are also accepted in these sites to offer a wide range of options to customers.
Swedish Online Gambling
Gambling is a legal form of entertainment in Sweden which starts with land-based gambling. Once its citizens reach the legal age or age of consent, they are already allowed to legally indulge in gambling. From buying lottery tickets to playing slot machines and online casinos, people in Sweden enjoy their freedom to gamble. Just take a look at their local bar or ferries and you may find different forms of gambling.
There are traditional slot machines and table games like blackjack to keep players entertained and satisfied. You won’t find Swedes partake in casual gambling even though there are lots of slot machines around the country. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy it. Gambling in Sweden has been legalized for a long time already though the state, later on, monopolized it in 2018.
The introduction of online gambling opened new doors for players and gambling enthusiasts around the country. When Swedish lawmakers passed laws in 2002 to welcome it in the gambling market legally, online casinos began advertising freely. But that’s not always the case since online gambling changed a lot since 2019. From 1934, the gambling industry successfully made a spot in Sweden’s history and culture.
All activities of gambling houses and players were regulated after being monopolized. Things changed when the state welcomed private investment in the gambling industry for private players. Thus, the state founded a regulatory body to keep an eye on online casinos known as the Swedish Gambling Authority. The state also enforced a new law to empower the Swedish Gambling Authority and accept licenses.
The law became effective on the first day of January 2019 to inspire private participation. At the same time, online casinos where you can play even if they don’t hold a license popped everywhere. Despite the laws and regulations imposed by the state in the online gambling industry, some sites remain unlicensed.
Popular Swedish Online Casinos that are Unlicensed
Now that you’ve had a little background about the gambling in Sweden, let’s head to the highlights here. When it comes to online gambling, Sweden has hundreds of sites to choose from.
Playing at an unlicensed online casino may not be the wisest action but actually has some good sides too.
Payment Methods in Unlicensed Swedish Online Casinos
One of the first things that convince players into signing up for an online casino is the payment method. This is what players always look for to make sure that they can make fast and smooth transactions. Each payment method comes with its own set of terms and conditions from deposits to withdrawals. But compared with the usual licensed online casinos, unlicensed online casinos have more limited payment options to offer.
- EcoPayz
- Skrill
- Neteller
- PayPal
- Zimpler
- MasterCard
- VISA
- Boku
- Maestro
- PaySafeCard
- GiroPay
- Bank Transfer
- Bitcoin
- Neosurf
- AstroPay
- Qiwi
Depending on the casino you choose, the range of payment methods may vary a lot. Some may accept up to 6 payment methods only while others may accept more than 16. Based on this list, cards and e-wallets are clearly accepted on unlicensed online casinos such as VISA, MasterCard, and Skrill. There are even casinos that allow transactions through PayPal.
With or without a license, some popular payment methods are still offered by many casino operators. If you want to make deposits directly from your bank account, you can also take advantage of the Bank Transfer option. On the other hand, there is one payment method that unlicensed online casinos are missing. There is a payment method called Swish which only licensed online casinos by Spelinspektionen are allowed to provide.
Advantages of Unlicensed Swedish Casinos
When the Swedish Gambling Authority was founded in 2019 to regulate the market, many casino operators applied for a license. At the same time, other casinos remained operating in Sweden even without a license. Although we highly recommend signing up for licensed and regulated casinos for security, we also can’t deny that they have pros.
Let’s identify them to help you understand why there are still unlicensed online casinos and players that seek them. Check out the reasons below:
- No Bank ID or Mobile Bank ID Verification
Having an efficient, smooth, and safe registration matters a lot when it comes to online casinos. In this case, Bank ID and Mobile Bank ID are the two most commonly used solutions to verify players’ registration. However, not all Swedes have both or at least one of these which prevents customers from signing up in licensed casinos.
This is where Swedish online casinos without a license come in handy for customers who want to experience gambling online. Unlicensed Swedish online casinos will ask for customers’ Bank ID to register an account.
- No Deposit or Loss Limits
One of the rules that licensed online casinos have to follow in the Swedish Gambling Act is to set the deposit limits. Deposit limits help casinos promote responsible gambling. However, this rule doesn’t apply to unlicensed Swedish online casinos since they are not bound by the Swedish laws.
- More Bonuses
The new gambling regulation in Sweden allows casino operators to offer one bonus for each player only. Thus, each player can enjoy one bonus only after signing up for the casino and claiming the initial Welcome Bonus. This goes to show how the state wants to maintain the order and compliance in the country, especially in casinos. For those players who prefer more bonuses, this rule is surely a killjoy.
But contrary to that “one bonus per player” law, unlicensed casinos can provide multiple casino bonuses aside from the Welcome Bonus. This is one of the reasons why a lot of players still seek Swedish casinos online without a license. They can enjoy more bonuses such as Free Spins, VIP programs, second deposit bonuses, and so much more. This makes their casino experience more fun and exciting.
- No Waiting Time between Spins
Based on the new rules online gambling, there should be a 3-second interval between each spin on slot machines. This is also known as the 3-second rule in the imposed Swedish Gambling Act. This rule limits casino providers in improving the game experience of players because players have to wait a lot. The Swedish State and Gaming Inspectorate’s aim for implementing this rule is to help players avoid rushing in to spin.
Therefore, the next spin will start only after at least 3 seconds which can be frustrating to many players. Not to mention those who are used to fast-spinning action in casino slot machines. Luckily, this kind of rule doesn’t apply to unlicensed Swedish casinos so players can spin as fast as they can. No need to follow the 3-second rule to keep them waiting.
- No Self-Suspension on Spelpaus.se
The Spelpaus.se system is part of the Act that the Swedish Gambling Authority imposed to promote responsible gambling. This helps players to fight gambling addiction by taking a break from gambling. The laws allow online casino players to enter the Spelpaus.se system or self-exclude from all licensed online casinos in Sweden.
Once players block themselves, they won’t be able to undo it and play on any licensed casinos. No licensed casinos will also accept them until the self-exclusion period is over. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t play on anymore. Unlicensed online casinos can accept players who self-excluded themselves. That’s usually Curacao casinos “utan svensk licens” and you should never play at those online casinos.
Some of the Curacao online casinos are really good, but as UK or Swedish players you should avoid them anyway.
Disadvantages of Unlicensed Swedish Casinos
Even though the advantages we mentioned above may seem heavenly, we can’t deny that there are also cons to consider. Before you sign up on unlicensed online casinos, take note that these casinos are still unregulated by the state. Therefore, your safety is not guaranteed while playing at these casinos. So, here are some of the points that you should know to help you make up your mind:
- Unregulated by the State
All unlicensed Swedish online casinos are unregulated by the state. This means that its offered games and services cannot be controlled by the regulatory body of Sweden in the gambling industry. All players who also sign up and play on these kinds of casinos will not be punished or fined.
In return, players should also remember that they are putting their safety at risk by registering. In other words, playing on these casinos means playing at your own risk.
- Longer Registration
Since players are not required to provide their Bank ID or Mobile Bank ID, casino operators require other verification alternatives. Depending on the online casino you sign up with, the registration process may take longer to accomplish. Unless you are patient enough to get through this as part of the package then be sure to choose wisely.
- Declared Winnings and Taxes
Another drawback of playing on unregulated online casinos is declaring winnings and paying taxes. Meanwhile, players in licensed casinos can withdraw their winnings tax-free to make the most of their winnings.
So, all winnings with an amount of over SEK100/£8.15 should be declared. There is also a 30% tax that should be paid for playing on unlicensed Swedish online casinos. This includes all online casinos with a license from countries outside the EU only. The only way to get around this rule is to stick with unlicensed casinos in the EU.
- Limited Payment Options
Even though unlicensed Swedish online casinos provide a lot of payment options, there are still limits. Some payment methods cannot be used by these casinos since the transactions are blocked unless they have a license. For instance, many Swedish banks block deposits to foreign casinos online that are not regulated by Spelinspektionen. Nonetheless, players can still opt for other options that involve using credit cards and e-wallets like Skrill and NETeller.
- No Swedish Currency or Language
As part of the new Act in online gambling, the Swedish language should be removed from all unlicensed casinos. At the same time, accepting deposits in SEK or Swedish Krona currency should be stopped. Thus, there’s no guarantee that the unlicensed sites you want to visit accepts SEK currency or can be translated to Swedish.
Players in these casinos have to choose other currencies to make deposits and withdrawals. They should also opt for other languages to translate the site or contact the support team. If there are disputes, there are no Swedish authorities to rely on like the Gaming Inspectorate and the Swedish Consumer Agency.
Never play on a casino without license or use pikavippi for playing.
How to Remain Safe in Swedish Online Casinos without License from Spelinspektionen?
The license from Spelinspektionen is provided as a safety measure in the country if problems occur like disputes. However, its lack of a proper framework for tax operators led to the leakage of huge untaxed money outside Sweden. Thus, the government implemented the Gambling Act 2019 to have a fair share of that huge amount.
Before you freak out after just reading the drawbacks of unlicensed Swedish online casinos, read this first and don’t skip. This is not to disregard the disadvantages we listed above but to clear some unanswered questions from other players. You can still find that sense of security in these casinos if you know the basic things to look for.
- Casino License
When it comes to unlicensed online casinos in Sweden, the first thing you should look for is the alternative license. These casinos may not offer protection from local authorities but that doesn’t mean you can’t have any at all. So, make sure that it is licensed and regulated by other gambling authorities. The first one is the UK Gambling Commission, then there’s also the Malta Gaming Authority, and the Gibraltar Gambling Commission.
Other regulatory bodies include the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, Tasmanian Gaming Commission, and more. As long as the casino is licensed and regulated by all or any of these gambling authorities, you’re still safe.
- Gambling Fairness Certification
A casino that has a gambling fairness certification means that it passed the independent audits or fairness testing boards. It could be given by eCogra, iTech Labs, GLI, and TST together to ensure that its RNG is truly random. If you spotted these names at the bottom part of the site, it means that you can still play safely.
- Games from Trusted Software Providers
Last but certainly not the least is the supplied games by trusted software providers. Reputable game providers that offer a wide range of games include Microgaming, Net Entertainment, Playtech, Novomatic, Pragmatic Play, and more.
Why Some Online Casino Operators Don’t Apply for the Swedish License?
You’re probably wondering for the main reasons why these unlicensed casinos exist in Sweden. As mentioned above, an online casino can still be safe with fair games even if it doesn’t have a license. Therefore, we can’t also say that it’s a scam without checking first if it is licensed by other regulatory bodies. So, we collected the top reasons why some casino operators continue to operate without a license.
- Tax Payment
All gambling sites that are licensed and regulated by Spelinspektionen pay an 18% tax based on their net profits. Of course, some casinos wouldn’t want to submit to that rule if they can’t get the same return on investment. If it doesn’t justify the license acquisition, they don’t want to pay that tax.
- License Acquisition Fee
Aside from the 18% tax fee, there is also a license acquisition fee to take care of. Paying a huge fee of SEK400,000/£300,000+ for a license may not be a problem for big brands. However, that can be a little too much for other brands especially for those that are just starting brands. We also like to point out that casino licenses have to be renewed.
This means that they have to prepare for recurring renewal fees too and more to get the whole package of license. Just imagine how much the company would pay if they own multiple sites that should be licensed and regulated individually.
- Financial Burden for Small and Larger Brands
Seeing online casinos that are owned and operated by a bigger company is no longer new in the gambling industry. Many of the popular gambling sites nowadays in Sweden and other parts of the world are technically “sister” casinos. No wonder some casinos have almost the same collection of games and a set of bonuses on the promotion page. For some of these huge brands that manage multiple sites, the financial burden of compliance is real.
Despite the amount of profit they get, some still can’t afford to apply a license for all their casino sites. So, what more can we expect from smaller companies that manage smaller groups of online casinos? The level of pressure is higher especially if they want to compete with the top Swedish casinos that are licensed. So instead of jumping in the water and applying for a license, they choose not to but still satisfy players.
FAQ
Yes, you can, but residents have to pay 30% tax of their winnings.
Yes they do. As a matter in fact, there are many options to use when making a payment, such as Neteller, Paypal and Zimpler.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, playing on Swedish online casinos without a license is not illegal. But, you have to pay 30% tax for declared winnings over SEK100/£8.15 if the casino is licensed outside the EU. If you accidentally self-excluded yourself on Spelpaus.se or regret ever doing it intentionally, don’t fret too much. You can still enjoy online casinos by waiting until the self-exclusion is finally over or by checking out unlicensed casinos.
However, be sure that it has at least one license from other reputable gambling authorities outside Sweden to guarantee its legitimacy. Signing up in an unlicensed Swedish casino that doesn’t have any license and fairness certificate at all is a big-NO.