Pontus Lindwall: The black market is a huge problem – even my kids play with unregulated operators
Speaking on EGR’s new podcast, Power Seat, the Betsson AB CEO discusses his long and storied career and the challenges of running a Power 50 operator in 2026
Betsson AB CEO Pontus Lindwall revealed the scale of the threat posed by black market operators on EGR’s new podcast, admitting his grown-up children sometimes play with unregulated sites.
Speaking on the episode one of The Power Seat, released on Wednesday 10 June, Lindwall said many customers – including his own offspring – are attracted to the black market, because the offering is not hamstrung by the same regulatory pressures facing licensed firms.
“It’s a good product,” he said. “Some countries have put too tight regulations in place, so it almost takes away the fun of gambling, and that becomes problematic.
“My kids, they play a little bit regulated, a little bit unregulated. They don’t care. And I’m still the CEO of a regulated company.
“But they go, ‘yeah, but I get bonuses here, I don’t get bonuses if I play with you’. So, I see it on a daily basis and that’s tough.”
Despite the drift to the black market in many European countries, governments continue to lift taxes on gambling, which is a problem for the regulated industry, Lindwall concedes.
“When politicians are looking at their budgets and they see a black hole or some money missing; if they beat up the gaming companies a bit by raising the tax, they don’t lose many political points,” he said. “Whereas any other savings and may lead to political damage.”
Watch the full episode above, including Lindwall’s insight on AI, sponsorships, the reputation of the industry and plenty more.