Writer: Co-operation partner
Online casino games are a way to pass the time while travelling, such as in airports or on trains. But if you choose the wrong gambling site, you could end up with a nasty bill in the form of taxation on your winnings. The tip is therefore to choose tax-free casinos. But how do you find them and what do you need to consider? We'll tell you about that here.
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What does tax-free mean for online gambling?
Tax-free in this context means that Swedish players are not taxed on winnings made at online casinos licensed in an EU/EEA country. This applies to all casinos with a Swedish licence, but there are also tax-free casinos without a Swedish licence within the EU/EEA that comply with the applicable rules.
The background is the EU principle of free movement. Instead of you as a player having to pay tax, it is the gambling company in question that does so, in the country where they have a licence.
How to recognise the tax-free options
Start by checking the licence. As mentioned above, tax exemption requires that the casino has an EU/EEA licence. Look at the bottom of the page for the gambling authority logo and licence number. Reputable gambling companies display all this openly, as a mark of quality. If there is a company information page (often "About us"), it will show the country that issued the licence.
If you want to be extra sure, you can confirm the information by checking the public registers of the country concerned. If the information is not correct, choose another gambling site. This also applies under certain other conditions, which you can read more about below.
Licences within the EU/EEA
EU/EEA licences are issued by national gambling authorities that impose strict requirements for security, compliance and responsible gambling. This includes checks on owners and finances, regular audits, anti-money laundering measures and clear procedures for identity checks and age limits. Players' money must be protected and all payouts must be handled transparently.
Apart from the Swedish licence, which is issued by the Swedish Gambling Authority, the most common licences are:
- Malta (Malta Gaming Authority, MGA)
- Estonia (Estonian Tax and Customs Board, EMTA)
- Netherlands (Netherlands Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit)
For those travelling, the EU/EEA licence provides freedom of choice. There are often more bonuses and promotions, as well as a larger and more varied range of games than in Sweden. At the same time, the rules of the country of licence apply to bonuses, disputes and complaint handling.
When are online casino games not tax-free?
When playing at casinos licensed outside the EU/EEA, any winnings are taxable. The net winnings from each individual casino you play at are considered as income from capital and taxed at 30 %, if it exceeds SEK 100.
This seems simple enough. But there is a pitfall. Even within the EU/EEA, it may be the case that winnings are in practice taxable. The tax exemption is cancelled if it is a foreign casino that is considered to target Swedish players.
The ones you should look out for more are therefore gambling sites that lack a Swedish licence but still:
- Has se domain
- Swedish as a language
- Swedish in customer service
- Payments and winnings in Swedish kronor
- Swish and login with BankID
- Marketing in Sweden
If any of these apply, the winnings will be taxable, even if the licence was issued in the EU/EEA.
How to get started at tax-free casinos
Foreign tax-free casinos do not use BankID. Therefore, you need to register manually: click on "Sign up", fill in your name, address and email and verify the account. After that, choose the payment method: common ones are credit cards, e-wallets and bank transfer.
Many EU/EEA casinos have more games and a wider range of bonuses compared to the Swedish ones. Just don't forget to check the terms and conditions before accepting an offer. It normally only takes a few minutes, but it is important.
Bonus offers that seem too good to be true often come with a catch, so be careful how you choose. It will give you the best chance of enjoyable entertainment during the downtime that so often occurs when travelling.
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