A recent report from Sweden's gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has highlighted the role of influencers in promoting unlicensed online gambling to consumers. This trend is particularly concerning in demographics favored by younger audiences, prompting worries about consumer protection and effective regulatory enforcement.
Released online this past Monday, the report outlines the various methods and platforms leveraged by unlicensed gambling operators. These include livestreaming platforms, sponsorships, affiliate link networks, and social media channels.
Spelinspektionen pointed to affiliate marketing networks and 'link farms' as significant conduits through which influencers promote illegal gambling websites. Many of these affiliate domains operate for a short time, targeting thousands of Swedish IP addresses before vanishing and reemerging as new domains. Some specific affiliate landing pages utilize Swedish (.se) domains but redirect users to English-language sites, concealing the operators' jurisdictions while still attracting Swedish players.
Livestreaming platforms such as Twitch and Kick are among the venues where influencers disseminate affiliate links and promotional codes tied to unlicensed services. Influencers utilize features like leaderboards and giveaways to engage audiences. Although Twitch has banned several unlicensed sites, Kick has become a fallback for users previously banned from Twitch. While some enforcement actions have curtailed major influencer promotions of illegal gambling, many influencers have shifted their focus either to international audiences or other platforms.
Social media platforms including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and X have also been used extensively to promote affiliate links, sponsored content, and undisclosed advertisements. There is particular concern about English-language comedy and influencer accounts that recently began producing content in Swedish, often using deepfakes of Swedish public figures to falsely endorse illegal advertisements.
Spelinspektionen noted that unlicensed casino ads could be found on Swedish websites, sometimes obscured by paywalls or displayed only at specific times. The regulator alarmingly pointed out that programmatic advertising and AI-driven tools have enabled advertisers to bypass publisher blacklists and obscure their campaign objectives. There have also been numerous reports to the regulator about SMS campaigns advertising unlicensed gambling, frequently directed at self-excluded individuals registered with Spelpaus.
New regulations aimed at tightening the technical requirements for Spelpaus will be implemented from 1 August. These regulations will introduce marketing checks, more stringent verification processes, and unique IDs for licensed operators. The register itself was updated in 2023 to improve accessibility to information about gambling issues and to allow players to extend their self-exclusion periods.
The report identified encrypted and semi-private messaging platforms like Telegram as channels where affiliate links and giveaways were organized.
Esports emerged as a critical area where sponsors of skin-betting and crypto-casinos are drawing in younger players, with Swedish visits to skin-betting sites reportedly rising after major tournament sponsorships.
Influencers continue to be a key point of concern; in 2025, Spelinspektionen initiated several cases related to influencer promotions and advertising, noting that problematic promotions stopped following enforcement actions. Due to their substantial reach among younger audiences, influencers are especially prioritized in the regulatory conversation.
The impending EU Digital Fairness Act (DFA), expected to take effect later this year, may establish stricter guidelines for targeted advertising, potentially altering the landscape for gambling marketing and imposing more limitations on influencers.
Under the Swedish Gambling Act, promoting gambling without the appropriate license is illegal. The report also referenced a notable criminal conviction from March 2026, where an influencer received a 22-month prison sentence for economic crimes linked to unlicensed gambling promotion. This case marks Sweden's first recorded criminal sentence for online gambling promotion.
Discussions regarding the role of influencers in black market gambling advertisements continue in Europe. Earlier this year, a coalition of UK MPs and peers called on the government to implement reforms regarding gambling advertisements, seeking specific restrictions targeting influencers.
