Spela på casino utanför Europa: Vilka lagar och regler gäller?

It is perfectly possible and allowed to play at casinos that do not have a licence in Sweden, or are not even based in Europe. What applies when you travel outside Europe and want to play at a casino? It is important to be aware of the rules and laws that apply, such as the taxation of winnings. The advantage of playing at a casino with a Swedish licence is that it must comply with all the rules within the framework of the Swedish Gambling Act and that all winnings are tax-free.

There is a basic rule that applies to online gambling and betting when it comes to taxation. If the company is based and licensed in Europe, i.e. in a country that is a member of the EU or an EEA country, the winnings you make will be taxed as follows not have to be taxed on.

There is a whole range of different licences within Europe and the EU that offer the chance of tax-free winnings at casinos, but there are also other licences or other types of casinos where you have an obligation to report your winnings to the Swedish Tax Agency. In this case, you need to pay 30 per cent tax on your winnings.

An important parameter to take into account in this case is that it is not only your gambling winnings that make you liable for tax, but also bonuses, VIP rewards and other types of incentives that you may have received on a financial level at a non-European casino. The big difference is that you are not part of the EU co-operation that exists in this area and that the regulations that exist in this case do not apply.

The recommendation is always to talk to the tax authorities about the regulations that apply, to avoid not doing the right thing. It is your obligation to report your overseas casino and gambling winnings. This is counted as capital income and can therefore be equated with any gains you have made on the stock market.

Which licences make your winnings at online casinos subject to tax?

If you play at a casino with a Swedish licence, you can rest assured that your winnings at a casino or an online gaming company are always fully exempt from tax, but if you choose to play at a casino or an online gaming company with a Swedish licence, you can be sure that your winnings will be fully exempt from tax. casino without licence different rules will apply.

If you do not play at a casino with a Swedish licence or a casino with a licence in an EEA country, but instead choose to play at a casino with a licence elsewhere in the world, other rules apply. At sites like Spelpressen, you can read more information about exactly which casinos are involved.

However, the list below includes examples of licences that are commonly used by online casinos, but which do not provide tax-free winnings because they are not European/EU/EEA licences.

Alderney
Antigua & Barbuda
Antilles
Costa Rica
Aruba
Curacao
Isle of Men

Many of the casinos licensed in the above regions are of a very high standard and have quickly become popular, but with the obvious disadvantage that you not only have to pay taxes of 30 % on your winnings, but also that you have reporting obligations. The lack of such obligations is one of the great advantages of playing at a Swedish casino, as everything is automatic and directly linked to your social security number in a clearer way.

Do you want to play at a casino without profit tax?

There are a number of ways to ensure that you play at an online casino where you do not have to pay taxes on your winnings. The safest way is to play at a casino that has a licence in Sweden from the Swedish Gambling Authority, but there are also other ways to play for casino and gambling company winnings without having to pay tax on them.

Thanks to EU cooperation, there is an agreement that makes all gambling winnings tax-free in EEA/EU countries, and this can include licences issued in Malta or Gibraltar. These are two cases of very strong casino nests. The advantage in these cases is that many casinos are based in Malta and Gibraltar, so there is a natural connection.

Note that a Swedish licence is still required for the rules of the Swedish Gambling Act to apply. In other words, the profit tax is only one of the parts of the Swedish licence system. The regulations and the safety net that are linked to the Swedish licence system are therefore not something that extends beyond the Swedish licence limit, regardless of whether it is a casino within Europe or not.

In other words, it is an advantage to play at a casino within the EU/EEA to avoid having to pay taxes on the winnings. In the end, this can involve quite large sums, as as much as 30 % of the winnings disappear in tax in the same way as with capital income.