SpelAkademin 2026 on Åland

The Nordic gaming industry came together in Mariehamn when SpelAkademin was held on 7 October. SpelAkademin is Sweden's most established industry forum and has been held since 1992.

The conference was opened by Anna Johnson, CEO of Svenska Spel and Chair of Sper, together with Paf's CEO Christer Fahlstedt. The well-known presenter Ellinor Persson moderated the day. The first speaker was Peter Knutsson, the new Director General of the Swedish Gambling Authority, who shared his view of the authority's work. Among other things, he highlighted the problems surrounding unlicensed gaming.

“It is important that people play on the licensed market, and for us this is a key part of our work, where we use a range of methods. One method is to reach the operators that promote illegal gaming through social media or payment solutions,” says Peter Knutsson.

Almost a hundred people attended SpelAkademin, and for most of them it was the first time they had heard the new Director General of the Swedish Gambling Authority speak. SpelAkademin was organised by the Swedish trade association Sper in collaboration with Paf, and participants gathered at Alandica Culture and Congress Centre in Mariehamn.

Fahlstedt: the industry will look different in 2036

Paf's CEO Christer Fahlstedt spoke about how the industry is developing and what it may look like ten years from now. He predicted both tax increases and declining profitability, but also clearly positive trends.

“By 2036 the battle over channelisation will have been won by the good side. By then we will finally have stopped the vast majority of unlicensed gaming on the Swedish market. The operators that remain will be strong brands with a genuinely good reputation in the market,” says Christer Fahlstedt, CEO of Paf.

CEO panel in the afternoon

The CEO panel brought together Christer Fahlstedt from Paf, Anna Johnson from Svenska Spel, Lotta Nilsson from ATG and Klas Moberg from Folkspel. All agreed that efforts against the unlicensed market need to be strengthened.

“We need to toughen up on unlicensed gaming. We need to work on the channelisation rate to get the healthy market we want,” says Anna Johnson.

The question of whether AI can be used in responsible gaming work divided the panel.

“We need to make sure customers are treated correctly and consistently. That responsibility should not sit with an AI,” says Christer Fahlstedt.

Last on the programme was Jörgen Holmlund, who spoke about criminal networks and foreign operators infiltrating the Swedish market.

SpelAkademin will next be held in 2028. Check-out the picture gallery from SpelAkademin 2026.