01What does "casino utan spelstopp" mean?
“Casino utan spelstopp” is Swedish for a casino that does not check players against Spelpaus, Sweden’s national self-exclusion register.
Spelpaus.se is run by Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority.1 National self-exclusion was introduced with the Swedish Gambling Act, which has been in force since 1 January 2019.5 Under Chapter 14, Section 12 of that Act, an exclusion applies at all holders of a Swedish gambling licence, rather than only at one licensed operator.5
Operators with a Swedish licence must connect to Spelpaus and check players against the register at registration, at every login and before direct marketing.3
The duty to connect to Spelpaus applies to Swedish licence holders.3 An operator without a Swedish licence is not connected to the register
The most common reason Swedes gamble on sites without a Swedish licence is that they have excluded themselves through Spelpaus.se.8
02How long does a Spelpaus exclusion last?
A Spelpaus exclusion can last 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or “tills vidare”, meaning until further notice.1
The fixed periods end automatically.2 This applies to the 10-day option and to the options lasting 1, 3 or 6 months: the exclusion ends when the selected period is over.12
“Tills vidare” works differently: it lasts for at least 12 months and does not end by itself.2 After 12 months, you can log in and end the exclusion; if you do not end it, it continues.2
An exclusion cannot be undone or ended early, even if it was made by mistake.2
You confirm the exclusion using Mobilt BankID, BankID, Freja eID+ or Foreign eID.1 A Swedish personal number or coordination number is also required.1
03What does Spelpaus cover?
Spelpaus covers all gambling that requires registration with every operator licensed in Sweden, but some forms of gambling fall outside its scope.42
The covered activities include online casino games and slots, online betting, online bingo and online lotteries.4 The coverage is not limited to online gambling: it also includes Vegas machines and play through retail agents and at racetracks.4
The activities outside Spelpaus include traditional bingo halls, casino games in restaurants and prize machines.2 Gambling on ships in international traffic and local horse pools are also outside its scope.2 Lottery tickets not sold online are not covered
Spelpaus also affects direct marketing from licensed operators: they may not send direct marketing to excluded players.5
04Self-exclusion in other countries
Self-exclusion differs between countries in the periods available and in whether it is handled through a national register or by individual licence holders.1112131416
In Denmark, the register is ROFUS. Its exclusion periods are 24 hours, one month, three months or six months, with permanent exclusion also available.11
In Great Britain, GAMSTOP offers exclusion for six months, one year or five years. It covers online operators licensed in Great Britain.12
Germany uses OASIS, where self-exclusion lasts at least three months. It does not end without a written request13
In the Netherlands, Cruks offers exclusion periods ranging from six months to 99 years.14
Malta has no national register. Instead, each licence holder must offer its own self-exclusion16
Each register covers only operators licensed in its own country.
05Are winnings taxed in Sweden?
Gambling winnings can be tax-free or taxable, depending on the operator’s licence, the market the game targets and the amount won.9
Winnings from an operator licensed in Sweden are tax-free.9 Winnings are also tax-free when they come from games that do not require a Swedish licence and target a market within the EEA.9
Winnings are taxable if the game targets the Swedish market and requires a Swedish licence, but the operator does not have one.9 This remains the case even if the operator holds a licence in another EEA country.9
Winnings of 100 kronor or less are tax-free.9 For taxable winnings, the tax rate is 30 percent of net winnings, calculated per operator and calendar year.9
06Spelpaus in numbers
The counter on Spelpaus.se showed 143,378 excluded people on 12 October 20261
For 31 December 2025, the reported total was 134,484 excluded people, made up of 101,803 men and 32,681 women.7
The figures for gambling with Swedish-licensed operators cover a different measure: in 2025, 84 percent of gambling in Sweden took place with those operators.8 The share was 96 percent for betting and 81 percent for online casino8
Stödlinjen is the Swedish gambling helpline, and its service is free and anonymous.22 Its telephone number is 020-81 91 00.22
07Sources
All sources read on 12 October 2026. The full Swedish guide is at casinoutanspelstopp.net.
- 1Spelinspektionen – Spelpaus.se – startsidan och avstängningsformuläret. read 2026-10-12
https://www.spelpaus.se/ - 2Spelinspektionen – Spelpaus.se – Frågor och svar. read 2026-10-12
https://www.spelpaus.se/fragor-svar/ - 3Spelinspektionen – Spelpaus.se – information för spelbolag (anslutning och kontroll). read 2026-10-12
https://www.spelinspektionen.se/lagar-regler/spelansvar-och-konsumentskydd/spelpaus.se - 4Spelinspektionen – Avstängning – för spelare. read 2026-10-12
https://www.spelinspektionen.se/spelare/avstangning/ - 5Sveriges riksdag – Spellag (2018:1138), ändrad t.o.m. SFS 2026:1077. read 2026-10-12
https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/spellag-20181138_sfs-2018-1138/ - 7Spelinspektionen – Årsredovisning 2025 (bl.a. tabell 21, antal avstängda). read 2026-10-12
https://www.spelinspektionen.se/globalassets/dokument/spelinspektionens-overgripande/spelinspektionens-arsredovisning-2025.pdf - 8Spelinspektionen – Kanaliseringsgrad på den svenska spelmarknaden 2025 (2026-06-15). read 2026-10-12
https://www.spelinspektionen.se/globalassets/dokument/rapport-o-remiss/kanaliseringsgrad-pa-den-svenska-spelmarknaden-2025.pdf - 9Skatteverket – Vinster i spel och tävlingar. read 2026-10-12
https://www.skatteverket.se/privat/skatter/arbeteochinkomst/inkomster/vinsterispelochtavlingar.4.7459477810df5bccdd4800015166.html - 11Spillemyndigheden – ROFUS – Register Over Frivilligt Udelukkede Spillere. read 2026-10-12
https://rofus.nu/ - 12GAMSTOP – Register – self-exclusion periods. read 2026-10-12
https://www.gamstop.co.uk/register - 13Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 – § 8a Eintragung in die Sperrdatei (OASIS). read 2026-10-12
https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/StVGlueStV2021-8a - 14Kansspelautoriteit – Cruks – Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen. read 2026-10-12
https://cruksregister.nl/ - 16Malta Gaming Authority – Remote gaming licensing och Player Protection Directive (Directive 2 of 2018). read 2026-10-12
https://www.mga.org.mt/licensing/remote-gaming/ - 22Stödlinjen – Stödlinjen – för spelare och anhöriga, öppettider. read 2026-10-12
https://www.stodlinjen.se/