The Swedish gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has published a report detailing the primary methods used to promote illegal iGaming operators to the local audience. The report highlights various strategies, including affiliate marketing, streaming, social media and messenger advertising, SMS and email campaigns, and sponsorships.
Streaming Platforms:
Twitch has emerged as the leading platform for illegal operator advertisements, with streamers earning up to tens of thousands of dollars per month through referral links and promo codes. Banned Twitch streamers are migrating to Kick, a platform that is more lenient towards gambling advertisements.
Affiliate Marketing:
Affiliate websites typically operate for several months before moving to new domains. In 2024, over 200 sponsored publications promoting illegal iGaming and affiliate sites appeared in Swedish news outlets.
Social Media and Messengers:
On Meta platforms, deepfake videos featuring Swedish politicians, athletes, and TV hosts are used to promote illegal operators without their consent. Crypto casinos and prediction market platforms utilize entertaining Instagram accounts for advertising. Discord channels of streamers are also sharing links to illegal iGaming sites and tips on bypassing geo-blocks out of the regulator's sight. SMS campaigns offering ways to play around the Spelpaus self-exclusion system remain the most frequent subject of complaints.
Sponsorship:
Illegal operators are actively funding esports, maintaining their own teams, and sponsoring tournaments, leading to increased Swedish traffic to skin gambling sites.
Oversight:
In 2025, the regulator reviewed 11 cases related to the promotion of illegal iGaming operators, 6 cases against influencers, and 5 cases involving banners of illegal sites on Swedish platforms. Following these investigations, all illegal advertisements were removed.
In March 2026, a Swedish court sentenced influencer Christopher "Chrippa" Lundström to 1 year and 10 months in prison for promoting illegal operators, marking the first time an influencer has received a prison sentence for such actions. Meanwhile, authorities are discussing a reform of the gambling law that would bring all sites accessible to players from Sweden under regulatory oversight, even if they do not specifically target the Swedish market.