Open competition versus state monopoly: Blask examines the Nordic igaming markets

(AsiaGameHub) –   An exclusive report on the igaming landscape in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway has been published by an AI-powered analytics platform.

Special report.- Blask, an AI-driven igaming analytics platform, has issued a new exclusive report for Focus Gaming News concerning the Nordic igaming markets. The igaming map illustrates a division, with two markets operating under open competition and two under monopoly control.

The report examines the market in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway. “Using Blask Index data, we charted 12 months of demand dynamics and brand competition across all four markets,” it stated. The Blask Index is a real-time metric for market demand volume for igaming brands in a specific country, derived from normalised search data.

In Sweden and Denmark, licensed competition reveals a mature open market, characterized by consistent demand, established leaders, and churn in the lower tiers. Finland and Norway are both monopoly markets, though each has distinct characteristics.

Open regulated markets

Per the study, the Swedish market declined in June, rebounded strongly in July, maintained that elevated level through autumn, then softened in early 2026 before recovering in March. The higher demand from July to November coincides with the football season, which stimulates betting activity market-wide.

It indicates that the BAP (brand’s accumulated power) structure is firm at the top and more dynamic beneath it. Blask’s BAP metric represents a brand’s percentage share of total market demand in a particular country and timeframe. ATG and Svenska Spel collectively represent over half of the total market demand. NV Casino, the sole offshore brand on the list, rose to third position.

In Denmark, demand reached a low in June, then recovered as the Danish football season began in July. This increase persisted through autumn before a more pronounced surge in December, likely fueled by winter sports and year-end activity. Early 2026 experienced the anticipated seasonal decline.

The findings reveal the brand structure is stable at the top yet more divided than Sweden’s. Danske Spil is the leader with Bet365 in second place. Approximately a dozen brands compete within a fairly tight share range, with no distinct third contender.

Monopoly markets

Finland’s Blask Index remained fairly consistent over the last year, with slight peaks in May, September, and December. “That steadiness mirrors a market where one established operator commands more than half of total demand. This may be temporary: Finland is set to open its market to licensed competition in July 2027, and that structural change will likely bear little resemblance to the controlled patterns seen here,” the report continued.

Veikkaus occupies a dominant position, with Paf remaining a distant second. The remainder of the market is thinly dispersed across a lengthy roster of brands.

Norway’s market is the most strictly regulated of the four, the report noted. The Blask Index stayed restrained for most of the period, with demand rising in autumn and in March 2026, corresponding with the nation’s football season. Overall demand remained lower and more constrained than in the open Nordic markets.

The platform stated: “Norway enforces a strict monopoly. The regulator proactively blocks offshore operators — and by Nordic standards, the enforcement is rigorous.”

Norsk Tipping still controls nearly three-quarters of total market demand, despite ceding some share over the past year. “Stake, Roobet, and Rainbet all gained slightly at the edges. The monopoly persists, but the leakage is apparent and increasing,” it said.

What comes next

The study concludes that Sweden and Denmark demonstrate that open competition yields stable demand, firmly rooted leaders, and a competitive middle layer that continually rotates without upsetting the top. Finland and Norway exemplify the practical reality of monopoly control: concentrated demand, one dominant operator, and restricted opportunity for others.

By 2027, the Nordic landscape will have changed. The report indicates Norway’s monopoly is holding firm but is gradually losing share to offshore brands. Finland is intentionally moving the opposite way: the licensing process is underway, the monopoly period for online segments is concluding, and the existing brand hierarchy should be viewed primarily as a baseline.