When considering the largest markets in the iGaming space, perhaps the Scandinavian countries don’t always spring to mind. However, this is a growing market that is already worth €10 billion, according to EGW, which is even more than the United Kingdom. This blog post will look at the market as a whole and how affiliates and operators can make the most of the opportunity in these countries. It’s also important to note that each country within the market has their own regulations that need to be vetted before entering.

What to Know About This Market?

The Scandinavian market has customers who are experienced and expect websites that are localized for their local language and to be provided with popular local payment processors. According to Tobias Regnestam, Head of Commercial relations at Great.com, “if an operator wants to be successful in Scandinavia they need to start with a “Scandinavian approach” that means everything from a site that is relatively clean-cut, but especially easy to use. Gone are the days with “promo code” boxes and a design that tries to fit everything on the screen at once.” Regardless of which angle you are coming from; we think it is important to consider the following about what the users in the market expect.

• Fully translated website to the local language
• Available customer support in the local language
• Any form of “local” advertisements in the form of media buys/tv commercials/local brand ambassadors

For operators more specifically:

• Appropriate license and regulations
• Popular local payment processors

What Games are Scandinavian Users Looking For?

While that covers how they want information to be presented, what exactly are players looking for in terms of product types?

The market leans toward Online Casino games, as users seem to enjoy how “fast, fun and on the go” the experience can be, according to Hampus Håkanson of The Coingaming Group.

Sportsbooks are emerging in the market, but again with a focus on the local perspective which makes the market size a little smaller in this case.

If operators focus on local leagues, they are more likely to be successful with Scandinavian users than promoting outside ones, while on the affiliate side it is important to look at having ads that are focused on those local leagues, rather than promoting general sports content.

Commissions

There does not seem to be a clear consensus on how this market likes to structure their commission deals. Some affiliates prefer a long-term solution and tend to lean towards revenue sharing deals, while the high CPAs offered by some operators will attract others. Since Scandinavians tend to be high value players over their lifetime, operators are typically not afraid to look into longer-term partnerships, whether they be revenue sharing, CPA, or hybrid deals.

Conclusion

The big takeaway here is that the Scandinavian market likes its product to be tailored to them. Focusing on their local languages and leagues, while ensuring a simple, but enjoyable user experience, seems to be the best way to engage this market. When looking at partnerships in this space, fit is important as affiliates will need to ensure they have clean ads that are setup in a way to generate engagement with this experienced user base. On the other hand, operators will need to ensure their platform is easy to use and localized properly to keep players long-term and make these partnerships worthwhile!