Spelinspektionen Flags Twitch, SMS in Black Market Ads

Spelinspektionen, Sweden's gambling regulator, has published a review naming Twitch, SMS campaigns, influencer marketing and sponsored search results as the main channels pushing Swedish consumers toward unlicensed gambling sites. The review, reported on July 21, 2026, found that 17 percent of Swedish upper secondary school students used Twitch during 2025 and that the regulator closed 11 marketing related cases that year, six of them involving influencers.

Key facts

• Spelinspektionen's review names influencers, Twitch, SMS messaging and sponsored search as primary marketing pathways to unlicensed gambling, with particular concern about exposure among minors, according to coverage by Casinobeats.
• 17 percent of Swedish gymnasium (upper secondary) students used Twitch during 2025, per the same report.
• Sweden's channelisation rate, the share of gambling activity happening through licensed operators, fell to 84 percent in 2025 from 86 percent in 2023, according to data from Branschforeningen for Onlinespel (BOS) reported by SBC News.

What did Spelinspektionen's review actually find?

The regulator identified influencers, Twitch livestreams, SMS messages, sponsored search results and affiliate link farms as the primary channels used to advertise unlicensed gambling to people in Sweden. It flagged particular concern about how easily minors encounter this marketing, since a large share of the audience for livestreamed gambling content is under legal gambling age.

Why is Twitch singled out?

Twitch stood out because unlicensed casinos use it heavily for affiliate links, bonus codes, banners and chat messages, and because 17 percent of Swedish gymnasium students used the platform during 2025, according to the regulator's findings as reported by Casinobeats. Kick has also become an alternative channel after Twitch banned some unlicensed operators, spreading the same promotional activity to a second livestreaming platform.

How do SMS campaigns fit into the black market?

SMS advertising is one of the most frequent sources of complaints Spelinspektionen receives. The messages typically arrive from unknown senders, and some explicitly tell recipients they can keep gambling despite an active block through Spelpaus, Sweden's national self-exclusion register, according to the regulator's review.

What did Spelinspektionen say about its approach?

Ewa Gabrielsson, an investigator at Spelinspektionen, said the regulator sees marketing as one of several routes that lead consumers to unlicensed gambling, and that acting early can push operators to stop.

"Marketing is one of several paths for consumers to unlicensed gambling. Early information and contact can lead actors to cease operations.", Ewa Gabrielsson, investigator at Spelinspektionen

How many cases has the regulator actually brought?

Spelinspektionen handled 11 marketing related cases in 2025, six involving influencers and five involving banner advertising. Every case that reached a conclusion ended with the marketing activity stopping, according to the regulator's own figures reported by Casinobeats, though the review does not say how many cases remain open or unresolved.

What role do affiliates and link farms play?

The review describes affiliate domains that operate briefly before disappearing and reappearing under new addresses, some using Swedish .se domains while redirecting visitors to English language sites. That pattern makes individual domains hard to block permanently, since operators can simply stand up a replacement once one is flagged.

How has Sweden's channelisation rate changed?

Sweden's channelisation rate, the share of overall gambling activity happening through licensed operators, stood at 84 percent in 2025, down one percentage point year on year, according to BOS data reported by SBC News. That compares with an estimated 86 percent in 2023, per a separate Spelinspektionen black market study reported by Gambling News. The gap between licensed and unlicensed activity varies sharply by product, with online casino games showing a lower channelisation rate than sports betting.

How does channelisation differ between casino and sports betting?

Segment	Channelisation (player survey)	Channelisation (traffic estimate)
Sports betting	89 percent	95 percent
Online casino	81 percent	68 percent

The wider gap on casino products reflects the fact that unlicensed operators tend to offer casino style games that are restricted or unavailable in the regulated Swedish market, giving players a stronger reason to seek them out elsewhere.

Who is most likely to end up on unlicensed sites?

Spelinspektionen's earlier black market study identified players who are self-excluded through Spelpaus as one of the main groups ending up on unlicensed platforms, alongside users seeking fewer restrictions, underage players, and people who do not realize a site is unlicensed. Skin betting, where virtual in-game items function as gambling currency, has separately been linked to youth exposure through influencer promotion on streaming platforms.

Has anyone been prosecuted over illegal gambling promotion?

Yes. In March 2026, a Swedish court convicted an influencer over economic crimes connected to promoting unlicensed gambling, resulting in a 22 month prison sentence, according to reporting on Spelinspektionen's enforcement activity. That case is one of the clearest signs yet that Swedish authorities are willing to pursue criminal, not just civil, penalties against individuals who promote illegal operators.

What happens next?

Spelinspektionen has not announced new legislation as a direct result of this review, and BOS deputy secretary general Daniel Valiollahi has publicly said he is surprised the Swedish government has not yet presented legislative proposals to broaden the scope of the Gambling Act, according to SBC News. Until any such changes arrive, the regulator's stated approach is to keep opening cases against individual influencers, affiliates and SMS senders as it identifies them.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spelinspektionen?

Spelinspektionen is Sweden's national gambling regulator, responsible for licensing operators and enforcing the country's Gambling Act.

What channels did the regulator flag for unlicensed gambling ads?

Twitch, Kick, SMS messaging, influencer marketing, sponsored search results and affiliate link farms were named as the main channels.

What is Sweden's channelisation rate?

It was 84 percent in 2025, meaning 16 percent of gambling activity happened outside licensed operators, according to BOS data.

Has Spelinspektionen taken enforcement action?

Yes. It handled 11 marketing related cases in 2025 and a Swedish court sentenced an influencer to 22 months in prison in March 2026 over unlicensed gambling promotion.

Why does Twitch feature so heavily in the report?

Because unlicensed operators use it for affiliate links and bonus promotions, and because 17 percent of Swedish gymnasium students used the platform in 2025.

Updated July 2026.