Casino Without Swedish License

Find all the information you need about casinos without a Swedish licence on our site. We will look at which licences you should have in mind while comparing casinos without a Swedish licence. Another subject that will be covered is how the most common types of bonuses work at casinos that have been licensed by other authorities than “Spelinspektionen”, the Swedish Licensing Authority. On this site, you will also find answers to commonly asked questions about casinos that do not have a Swedish licence.

Temporary Gaming Regulations Due To Covid-19

From the 2nd of July 2020, temporary regulations have been in force. These are regulations that address the risks associated with online casino and slot machines gaming during the Covid-19 pandemic. These regulations are there to provide assistance to people, especially those who have a mental illness and are experiencing financial distress from their gambling habits during the pandemic.

Read the complete Ministry of Social Affairs press release here.

The Swedish government has issued a regulation regarding gambling during the pandemic. The regulations are focussed on vending machines and online casinos that are considered to be particularly risky forms of gambling. The regulations came into force on the 2nd of July and will apply throughout 2020.

The Social Insurance Minister, Ardalan Shekarabi, supported the efforts by saying that it is necessary to counteract the circumstances that lead to increased risks in the area of ​​gambling. "With the regulations, the government strengthens the protection of Swedish consumers," Shekarabi claims.

More Information Is Needed To Prevent Problems

Alongside the regulations, the Swedish Public Health Agency has been commissioned to review all the information on problem gambling during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are tasked with identifying if there has been an increase and by how much. To be able to carry out the review, they have received an extra supplement of SEK 500,000. Today there is a theory that social distancing leads to increased gambling, creating an even bigger problem at a time when people’s finances are low because of the pandemic.

The outbreak of Covid-19 means that more people are at risk of being on sick leave, mental illness and unemployment. If those who are extra vulnerable also play more, they might end up in a vicious circle because of this. Minister of Social Affairs, Lena Hallengren, says that "we need in-depth knowledge of how these problems are affected by the Corona pandemic". Increased knowledge is essential for us to be able to prevent problems related to gambling.

The Content Of The Regulations

One of the measures contained in the regulations is to introduce a limit of SEK 5,000 for deposits at individual online casinos. A loss limit for Jack Vegas machines for the same amount has also been introduced. Another part of the regulation is that players are required to state, and limit, the length of time they can play at online casinos and on Jack Vegas machines.

Finally, the regulation comes with a limit which means that the value of bonuses on online casinos may not exceed SEK 100.

What Is A Casino Without A Swedish Licence?

Briefly, a casino without a Swedish licence is a casino that has a licence by an authority other than the Swedish Spelinspektionen. The gaming market is open, and you are free to play on all sites that accept Swedish players. Many people think that as a Swede, you have to stick to casinos with a Swedish licence, but that is wrong. Previously, all Swedes played at a casino without a Swedish licence. It was not until January 2019 that Sweden received a new gaming law that made it possible for Swedish casinos and betting sites to apply for a Swedish licence.

Casinos Without A Swedish Licence Are In The Majority

We have abolished the gambling monopoly in Sweden, and, according to most sources, it has turned out really well. There are now many companies with a Swedish gambling licence (see the full list here). But they are in the minority compared to casinos without a Swedish licence. This is not so strange since gambling companies with a Swedish licence are focused only on Swedish players. Even though we are a relatively large casino nation, there are of course many more casinos without a Swedish licence than with.

Differences Between Casinos With And Without A Swedish Licence

Actually, it would be best if you were a little careful about generalising about casinos without a Swedish licence. A casino may be licensed by, for example, Malta Gaming Authority, Alderney Gambling Commission, Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, UK Gambling Commission or have a licence from Curacao. In all of these jurisdictions, different rules apply to how casino operations can be conducted.

Elements That Differentiate A Casino Without A Swedish Licence

From One With A Swedish Licence:

• Casinos without a Swedish licence often have more bonuses
• Casinos without a Swedish licence are not as regulated when it comes to advertising
• Casinos without a Swedish licence do not always have deposit limits
• Casinos without a Swedish licence offer several different payment methods

Is It Safe To Play At A Casino Without A Swedish Licence?

Even if Swedish casinos with a licence issued by Spelinspektionen are considered to be among the safest in the world, this does not mean that a casino without a Swedish licence must be less safe. Casinos with a Swedish licence follow a certain standard that is supposed to contribute to a safer gambling environment. Other casinos also have to follow standards issued by their licensing authority. Casinos who don't follow a strict standard can still be very safe as long as the company behind the casino takes this subject seriously.

Freedom With Responsibility At Foreign Casinos

Casinos without a Swedish licence can have very different rules and policies when it comes to security. A casino without a Swedish gambling licence can thus be very safe or not as safe, depending on which casino it is. It follows that you have a greater personal responsibility at casinos with a different licence than the Swedish. Therefore, you should check for yourself that the casino you want to start playing at has security regulations that suit your gambling behaviour. It may, for example, be that you need a casino where you can set deposit limits.

Always control bonuses extra carefully at a casino without a Swedish licence. Read the terms carefully. The fact that you can get tens of thousands of kronor extra to play for at a foreign casino is nice. But it is not always as good as it sounds if the wagering requirement is 50x the stake!

Casinos With An MGA Licence Are A Safe Choice

It is not only here in Sweden that we have gaming legislation that takes the players' interests seriously. Malta has become a huge influencer when it comes to gambling—since they protect both casinos and its players. Casinos with an MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) licence have functions that allow you to regulate your gambling, just like in a Swedish casino. There are also jurisdictions where casinos are not as strictly regulated and therefore not as safe for gamblers with problematic gambling behaviour. However, the fact that there are few rules does not necessarily mean that, for example, a casino with a Curacao licence is unsafe. A large number of casinos have chosen to create conditions for safe gambling, even though they are not required by law to do so in the jurisdiction where their licence is issued.

Is It Tax-Free To Play At A Casino Without A Swedish Licence?

When playing at a casino licensed by a country that belongs to the EU, your winnings are tax-free. However, if you play at a casino licensed outside the EU, you are liable to pay tax on your winnings.

The tax is calculated separately at each of the non-EU casinos you play at. It is your total winnings minus the bets you have made that give the taxable amount at one casino. The tax rate is 30%. You can not offset losses you have made at one casino against winnings you have made at another. Winnings of less than SEK 100 are not taxed and do not need to be declared.

Are Only Profits Taxable?

No, according to the Swedish Tax Agency benefits are also taxable. This applies to, for example, cashback, various VIP rewards, bonuses you receive for recruiting other players and gifts—such as free hotel rooms if you gamble at a physical casino. You can always contact the Swedish Tax Agency if it is not completely clear to you whether you need to pay tax or not.

In Sweden And Within The EU Profits From Gambling Are Tax-Free

In Sweden, profits from gambling have been tax-free since long before the new gaming law came into force in January 2019. This applies, for example, to casinos that have had their licence granted by the Malta Gaming Authority, but not to casinos with a Curacao licence. Because Malta, but not Curacao, belongs to the EU.

When the Swedish gaming monopoly was abolished, profits from gambling continued to be tax-free for Swedish players. Applicable to all types of games played under a licence from Spelinspektionen. On the other side of the coin, casinos pay tax on their winnings to the Swedish state.

Are Casinos Without A Swedish Licence Connected To Spelpaus?

Spelpaus is a function that is only available at casinos with a Swedish licence. No other authority that issues casino licences has this function and Spelpaus therefore only applies to casinos with a Swedish licence. Spelpaus is a function that allows you to block yourself from gambling with all gambling companies that are subject to the Swedish Gambling Act and have a Swedish licence. This applies not only to online casinos but also betting, bingo, slot machines, lotteries and more. The thing with Spelapaus is that you take a break from all types of gambling in Sweden with just one click. You decide how long the break should be. A casino with a Swedish licence must link to Spelpaus; otherwise, the licence will expire.

Can You Take A Break From Gambling At A Casino Without A Swedish Licence?

You can still exclude yourself from gambling at individual casinos that aren’t connected to Spelpaus. You can do this easily when you are logged into your gaming account. If not, it should be enough to contact the customer support. Casinos without a licence that do not allow you to close your gaming account or take a time-limited break, we would not classify as a serious casino.

ROFUS, GAMESTOP And Cruks

Casinos and betting sites in some other countries have functions that are similar to Spelpaus, although not exactly the same. In Denmark ROFUS, an abbreviation of “Register Over Frivilligt Udelukkede Spillere” that can be translated to “register of voluntarily excluded players”. In England, the function GAMESTOP gives players the option to exclude themselves for even more extended periods than you can by using Spelpaus. In Holland, Cruks is a function that offers the same opportunity. Germany and several other countries are also in the process of strengthening protection against gambling addiction with the help of similar tools.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Casinos Without A Swedish Licence

We conclude this review with a list of what we consider to be the biggest advantages and disadvantages of casinos without a Swedish gaming licence.

Advantages Of Casinos Without A Swedish Licence

Casinos without a Swedish licence gives the players more freedom

Say what you will about Swedish casinos, they have many strengths, but not everyone likes the large number of restrictions limiting them. It's a bit like someone is continually looking over your shoulder and telling you what you are allowed to do and not at a Swedish casino. Testing your luck at a casino without a Swedish licence can be a bit like moving to Las Vegas after living in a small Swedish town all your life.

There are many casinos without a Swedish licence

A large number of people enjoy having access to a wide range of entertainment. If you belong to that group, you should not limit yourself to Swedish casinos. Not when you can gamble at so many casinos without a Swedish licence, that accepts Swedish players.

If you like bonuses, you need to try casinos without a Swedish licence

Many casino enthusiasts like to compare different offers and try to find the ones that give them a better chance of winning money. Unfortunately, you cannot do this at a Swedish casino at all. Why? Because there are so few bonuses that are allowed at present.

Have a better chance of finding your favourite payment method

Swedish casinos have a fairly small range of methods for deposits and withdrawals. Suppose you want to play with a cryptocurrency or use another payment method that is not available at Swedish casinos. In that case, you can look for a casino without a Swedish licence that has that method.

There is a lot of funny games you can’t find at Swedish casinos

Gaming studios that make software for casinos do not always have their games at casinos with a Swedish licence. If you want to access all the entertainment that the market has to offer, you need to play at casinos with different licences.

Casinos without Swedish licence might have generous VIP-offers

Something that many players like about playing at a casino that you can't enjoy at Swedish casinos—are the VIP offers. These are a special type of bonus that are part of the rewards for those who play a lot on the same gaming site. If you think this sounds fun, you must choose a casino without a Swedish licence because VIP bonuses are not allowed on Swedish sites.

You can find better odds on betting sites without a Swedish licence

If you want to bet with the best possible odds, do not limit yourself to sites with a Swedish licence. Look for exciting opportunities on as many sites as possible.

Several of the largest and best casinos are without a Swedish licence

Swedish casinos are relatively new, as the gaming law came into force in 2019. Some of them are clones of well-known casinos that have existed for much longer and at several markets. Despite this, many successful gaming companies have chosen not to apply for a Swedish licence, and among these sites, there are some real gold nuggets.

Gamble with any amount of money

At a casino with a Swedish licence, there are limits to how much you can deposit in a week. To play for longer periods than that, you must distribute the bets over several casinos. If you are a high-roller and prefer to concentrate on a single casino, it is better to choose a casino without a Swedish licence.

You can gamble on casinos without a Swedish licence after using the function Spelpaus

This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. It may be that you have taken a break from gambling a long time by mistake. Then it is excellent that you can still play at a casino without a Swedish licence. However, we do not want to encourage players to do this if they have taken a break because they really needed to do so.

Disadvantages Of Casinos Without A Swedish Licence

Casinos without a Swedish licence may be perceived as less secure

How much a casino without a Swedish licence has invested in creating a safe gaming environment can vary a lot. What is clear, however, is that casinos with a Swedish licence maintain a very high standard in this area. At Swedish casinos, there are always functions such as Spelpaus and deposit limits.

The customer service is usually in English

At a casino without a Swedish licence, one that does not have Swedes as a primary part of its target group, you cannot count on Swedish-speaking customer service staff. It is also doubtful that the texts on the site will be translated into Swedish. Nor will you be able to play with SEK as your currency.

Some games are not accessible for Swedes at a casino without a Swedish licence

You can't choose games from the Swedish developer NetEnt as a Swede if the casino is without a Swedish licence. This may be the case with more games from Swedish game developers in the future.

It is easy to find Pay N Play casinos in Sweden

Verification at casinos with a Swedish licence uses your BankID. An advantage as it isn't necessary to register an account that has to be verified before you can gamble. You can often start playing within a minute after hearing about a new Swedish casino.