The year ended with a strong final quarter, characterised by continued high growth in the mobile field, the launch of a new pool game, an increased range of live sports, as well as news in the field of instant win games. Online sales experienced strong growth, with primarily mobile sales increasing by 59 per cent in the fourth quarter and 49 per cent over the whole of 2017.

Net gaming revenues for the fourth quarter increased to SEK 2,481 million (2,447), which is 1.4 per cent higher than the same quarter in the previous year. Profits of SEK 1,275 million (1,301) show a drop of two per cent.

For 2017 as a whole, net gaming revenues were SEK 8,980 million (8,993), which is slightly lower than the previous year. Increased costs for adaptation to the new AML and GDPR regulations, preparations for new gambling markets, as well as increased marketing costs, all contributed to lower profits in 2017 than in 2016. Profit for the Group is SEK 4,709 million (4,866), which is a drop of 3.2 per cent.

“We continue to show that it is possible to combine growth and also take clear responsibility in the world of gambling. Our customers respond in a positive way to the news we have delivered this year, and in the field of responsible gaming, we are seeing more and more people voluntarily suspending their accounts or taking a break from gaming. As at last December, around 20,000 customers voluntarily suspended their gaming accounts,” says Lennart Käll, CEO and Group manager of Svenska Spel.

In the fourth quarter, Svenska Spel launched an entirely new pool game, Oddset Challenge, and the range of sports games has also increased in terms of live games. Up to December, there were around 62,000 matches and sports events offered, compared with 21,000 matches and sports events in the same period the previous year. Svenska Spel has also launched the biggest new change in Lotto for over ten years, in the form of Miljonregnet [Raining Millions] which gives an even greater chance of becoming a millionaire.

Over the quarter, Svenska Spel has also contributed to child and youth organisations in the country’s sports associations, through the Gräsroten [Grass Roots] good cause. In 2017, 486,474 customers got involved and chose their favourite association to donate to whilst playing, thereby donating SEK 50 million to 8,190 associations across 71 sports.

“We are still maintaining our strong position as Sweden’s premier gaming company and meeting customer demands in terms of the gaming experience, with a wider range and product development. Customers are giving us high scores in our Satisfied Customer Index, and we have the highest image value in gambling companies, by quite some margin,” says Lennart Käll.