This is how you are taxed according to Swedish law for casino winnings
The Swedish gambling market had a turnover of 26 billion Swedish kronor in 2021 - and that was the net turnover, i.e. the turnover of the gambling companies after they have paid out the winnings to the players.
Quite naturally, the starting point for playing at a casino is to win money. But once you've won the money, there are a number of things you should think about – not least the tax rate on the winnings. In this article, we will go through the basic rules regarding the taxation of casino winnings.To find examples of gaming companies without a Swedish gaming license, you can, among other things, go to https://www.sveafreespins.com/.
Sweden got a new game law that came into effect in 2019
In Sweden, the gambling market was relatively open for a longer period. This led to many unscrupulous actors being attracted to the market and to players getting stuck. In order to bring order to the Swedish gambling market, the Swedish government reregulated the market in 2019 and introduced a new gambling law.
This divided the market into two parts, gaming companies that adhere to the Swedish gaming rules, pay tax in Sweden and have a so-called Swedish gaming license. While the other part is foreign gambling companies. These are companies that have their license in another country, examples of these licenses include:
- Malta Gaming Authority
- Curacao Gaming Control Board
The reason why it is important to have an understanding of where the betting company is registered is because it will affect your liability in terms of tax on the winnings. We will go through more about this in our next part of the article.
Swedish casinos have no profit tax
After the Swedish Gambling Act entered into force in 2019, you as a player do not have to pay tax on the winnings you make at Swedish casinos. But instead of the casino paying these taxes themselves, the state takes 18% of the profit that comes from the Swedish market.
When do you have to pay tax on casino winnings?
As long as the organizer of the game has a Swedish gaming license - or a gaming license issued by another country within the EU - you do not have to pay tax on the winnings you make in the game.
But if the operator operates outside the EU, you are liable for tax. This applies, for example, to players with foreign gaming licenses, such as the Curacao Gaming Control Board we mentioned above.
If you as a private person have made gambling winnings on games that exceed SEK 100 - you therefore need to declare this under "Income from capital" in your declaration.
Summary: The following games are taxable capital gains
If you play at a casino with a Swedish gaming license issued by the Swedish Gaming Authority or within the EU, you do not have to pay tax on your winnings - no matter how high they are.
However, keep in mind that if you participate in an online or brick-and-mortar casino outside of Europe, the winnings are taxable.
