The government of Sweden has appointed Erik Eldhagen as new State Secretary for Gambling, reporting to Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman to lead one of Sweden’s most closely scrutinised policy portfolios.
Eldhagen’s responsibilities will extend across gambling regulation, financial markets, state-owned properties, and the financing of new nuclear power projects. His appointment takes effect on 1 December 2025.
A seasoned public official, Eldhagen joins from the Riksbank, where he served as Head of the International Secretariat. He previously held senior positions within the Ministry of Finance and acted as an advisor to the World Bank.
The appointment comes ahead of the government’s anticipated amendments to the 2018 Gambling Act, which opened Sweden’s online gambling market.
The forthcoming reforms, developed under the guidance of Inspector Marcus Isgren and Niklas Wykman, to strengthen Swedish gambling consumer safeguards and protections against unlicensed gambling.
2025 has seen Sweden change its leadership of Swedish gambling as Gambling Inspectorate Spelinspektionen has undertaken its own transition. Announced in October Johan Röhr has begun his tenure as Acting Director General following the departure of Camilla Rosenberg after eight years at the helm.
Prelude to sweeping 2026 reforms
In the final months of 2025, Spelinspektionen has advised all Swedish licensees to prepare for a transformative 2026, as the government finalises a package of sweeping regulatory reforms.
Amendments to the Gambling Act will tighten definitions of illegal gambling activity and expand the law’s jurisdiction to offshore operators that make their services available to Swedish players, even without explicit targeting.
The Ministry of Finance has endorsed a proposal to remove the “directional criterion” — a long-standing clause that excluded non-Swedish-facing games from domestic law. Its removal will empower authorities to pursue any operator accepting Swedish players, regardless of language, payment method, or marketing approach.
Additionally, the government plans to bolster regulatory oversight through new enforcement powers and an enhanced penalty framework, granting Spelinspektionen the authority to impose heavier sanctions, revoke licences, and expand compliance investigations.
A landmark element of the 2026 reforms will see Sweden become the first EU nation to impose a complete ban on gambling with credit. From 1 April 2026, operators will be prohibited from processing any payments funded through credit cards, overdrafts, personal loans, or buy-now-pay-later services.
Hailed by the government as a key consumer protection measure, the ban aims to curb gambling-related indebtedness and reinforce the country’s responsible gambling framework.
The implementation of these measures will fall under the leadership of Acting Director General Johan Röhr, who succeeded Camilla Rosenberg on 1 November 2025, marking a new chapter for Spelinspektionen’s direction and enforcement strategy.
