Poker With Crypto From Sweden
Sweden has licensed online gambling since 2019. Winnings from games licensed in Sweden are tax-free, and Skatteverket taxes some others at 30%.
The short answer
Sweden licenses online gambling under the Gambling Act of 2018, in force since 1 January 2019, and the Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, supervises it and acts against unlicensed sites aimed at Sweden. Winnings from a game licensed in Sweden are tax-free. Skatteverket taxes wins over 100 kronor at 30% of the net winnings when the game needs a Swedish licence the operator lacks, or when it is an online game not aimed at a market in the EEA, and losses cannot be deducted.
From the sources at the bottom of the page. We are players, not lawyers; this page is what the law and our sources say, not legal advice.
At a glance
- The law
- The law is the Gambling Act (spellagen, 2018:1138), with the Gambling Ordinance (2018:1475). The authority took its present name, Spelinspektionen, on 1 January 2019, when the new law took effect.
- Licences
- About eighty companies had been licensed to offer gambling in Sweden by June 2019. Spelinspektionen also acts against the promotion of illegal gambling, unlicensed online gambling included.
- Tax
- Skatteverket: a gambling win is tax-free when it is 100 kronor or less, or when the game needs a Swedish licence and the operator has one. A win over 100 kronor is taxed when the game is aimed at Sweden and needs a Swedish licence the operator lacks, or when it is an online game not aimed at a market in the EEA. The tax is 30% of the net winnings, counted per operator and calendar year.
- Losses
- A loss with one operator cannot be deducted, nor set against winnings with another.
- The rooms
- Sweden is not on WePlay's list of refused countries, and Basepoker's terms name no countries. WePlay's licence is from Anjouan and Basepoker's from Costa Rica; neither is a Swedish licence.
A licensed market since 2019
Sweden's Gambling Act of 2018 opened the market to licensed operators from 1 January 2019, the day the gambling authority took its present name, Spelinspektionen. It supervises the Gambling Act and the Gambling Ordinance, grants the licences, and acts against the promotion of illegal gambling, unlicensed online gambling included. By June 2019 it had licensed about eighty companies and named some twenty others it found running illegal gambling aimed at Sweden.
The tax depends on the licence and the market
By Skatteverket's rules, a gambling win of 100 kronor or less is tax-free, and so is a win from a game that needs a Swedish licence when the operator holds one. A game that needs no Swedish licence is tax-free when it is aimed at the Swedish market or at a gambling market in another EEA country. A win over 100 kronor is taxable when the game is aimed at Sweden and needs a Swedish licence the operator lacks, and when it is an online game not aimed at a market in the EEA: the tax is 30% of the net winnings, which are your winnings minus your stakes with each operator over a calendar year. A loss with one operator cannot be deducted in the tax return, nor set against winnings with another operator.
What this means for a reader in Sweden
Sweden is not on WePlay's list of refused countries, and Basepoker's terms name no countries; both leave the law of your own country to you. WePlay's licence is from Anjouan and Basepoker's from Costa Rica, and neither is a Swedish licence. By our reading of Skatteverket's rules, net winnings over 100 kronor there would be taxed at 30%; Skatteverket can confirm it for your case. We do not describe VPNs or ways around the rules.
The sites licensed by Spelinspektionen are the regulated way to play online in Sweden. Our strategy pages, the odds chart and the calculators are free to read anywhere.
Time zones
Stockholm is UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, so a 20:30 start on WePlay's GMT+2 schedule is 19:30 in Stockholm in winter and 20:30 in summer. The Tonight page shows every start in UTC.
Sources
- Spelinspektionen, Swedish Wikipedia (the Gambling Act, the authority since 1 January 2019, the first licences)
- Skatteverket: winnings from games and competitions (Vinster i spel och tävlingar)
- WePlay terms and conditions, section 2 (the countries it refuses)
- Basepoker terms of service, sections 1.5 and 5 (the player checks the local law)
Read next
Questions
Is online poker legal in Sweden?
Yes, at operators licensed by Spelinspektionen under the Gambling Act, which took effect on 1 January 2019.
Do I pay tax on poker winnings in Sweden?
Not from a game licensed in Sweden, and not on a win of 100 kronor or less. Skatteverket taxes wins over 100 kronor at 30% of the net winnings, counted per operator and calendar year, when the game is aimed at Sweden and needs a Swedish licence the operator lacks, or when it is an online game not aimed at a market in the EEA. Losses cannot be deducted.
Can I play on WePlay or Basepoker from Sweden?
Sweden is not on WePlay's list of refused countries, though WePlay may refuse players from any country. Basepoker's terms name no countries and say that being able to use the site from a country does not make it legal there. Neither room's licence is Swedish, and by our reading of Skatteverket's rules net winnings over 100 kronor there would be taxed at 30%.