Spend a weekend in front of Swedish TV and you’ll meet Postkodmiljonären, a quiz show that is really an advert for a lottery. Here is why nearly every Swedish lottery is tied to a good cause, how much of the money actually reaches it, and what to do when a seller calls.
When you need this
You saw Postkodmiljonären on TV4 and wondered what the lottery behind it is. A seller phoned, or someone rang the doorbell, offering a lottery subscription or asking you to become a monthly donor. You moved to Sweden and your neighbors are celebrating because your postcode won. Or you got a call saying you’ve won a prize and someone will come by to pay it out.
Why every lottery has a good cause
Sweden doesn’t let ordinary companies run lotteries for profit. The Gambling Act (spellagen) reserves lotteries for two kinds of operator: the state, through Svenska Spel, and non-profit associations or registered religious communities working for a public-benefit cause (allmännyttigt ändamål). The cause isn’t decoration on the ticket. It is the legal basis for the licence.
To get a licence from Spelinspektionen, the gambling authority, an association must exist mainly to promote a public-benefit purpose, actually spend its activity on it, stay open to new members and need the income. Its lottery must state the prize share and be expected to give a reasonable return to the cause. In exchange, these lotteries pay no gambling tax, while commercial operators pay 22 percent of their net revenue.
| Who runs it | What it covers | Who licenses it |
|---|---|---|
| Svenska Spel (state) | State lotteries | Spelinspektionen |
| Non-profit association or religious community | Lotteries for a public-benefit cause, e.g. Postkodlotteriet, party lotteries | Spelinspektionen |
| Local club active in one municipality | Small registreringslotteri (registration lottery), sold only locally | The municipality |
That third row explains the raffles at sports clubs and village fairs. A club active in one municipality can register a small lottery with the municipality instead of applying for a licence. It can sell only there, prizes must be worth 35 to 50 percent of stakes, and there is a cap on total stakes over five years. Because these local lotteries aren’t licence-required, the 18-year age limit that applies to licensed gambling doesn’t apply to them by law. See Swedish club life for how associations work.
How Postkodlotteriet works
Postkodlotteriet (the Swedish Postcode Lottery) is Sweden’s largest lottery and has run since 2005. The licence is held by Svenska Postkodföreningen, an association whose members are the beneficiary charities. The day-to-day business is run by Postkodlotteriet AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dutch Novamedia group.
The mechanism is in the name. Your ticket number is your postcode plus three digits, so you can win on your own number, with your nearest neighbors on your postcode, or with everyone in your postal number area (see Swedish addresses explained). Only neighbors who hold a ticket share the prize.
- Daily draws: new winners every day, year round.
- Big shared prizes: three Grannyror a year plus a summer draw. The largest in 2025, SEK 239 million, went to a postcode in Ulricehamn.
- TV: Postkodmiljonären airs on TV4 every Friday and Saturday and drew about 600,000 viewers in 2025, its 20th year on air. Watching costs nothing.
- Subscription: you pay per ticket per month, in advance, with no fixed binding period.
Where the money goes
The law sets no minimum share for the cause. It caps prizes in a charity lottery at 50 percent of stakes over the licence period and otherwise asks for a reasonable return. A common claim that charity lotteries must give “at least 35 percent” to the cause mixes this up: 35 percent is the minimum prize share for small municipal lotteries.
Postkodlotteriet’s own 2025 annual report shows the split:
| 2025 | SEK | Share of takings |
|---|---|---|
| Lottery takings | 3.975 billion | 100% |
| Prizes, plus gifts and premiums | 1.59 billion + 133 million | about 43% |
| Running costs, incl. a licence fee for the product concept | 1.2 billion | about 30% |
| Surplus to 62 charities | over 1 billion | about 25% |
So about a quarter of each ticket reached the charities in 2025. That is a lot of money in total, and the distribution model is approved by Spelinspektionen. It is still a very different deal from a donation. A fundraising charity with a 90-konto (a quality-checked fundraising account) must put at least 75 percent of its income to its purpose. If giving is your goal, giving directly gets more of your money there.
Who can play, and why tourists can’t
Postkodlotteriet’s terms require a registered address in Sweden (folkbokföringsadress) and age 18. People under guardianship, in bankruptcy or with protected personal data are excluded. The ticket number is built from your Swedish address, so if you move abroad the subscription ends.
| You are | Can you join? |
|---|---|
| A tourist or short-term visitor | No: no Swedish registered address |
| An EU citizen or other foreigner registered in Sweden | Yes, if 18 or older; nationality doesn’t matter |
| A resident moving abroad | Your subscription ends |
Registration in the population register is covered in folkbokföring. If you win on any Swedish-licensed lottery, the prize is tax-free under the Income Tax Act. Casinos, betting, Spelpaus and unlicensed sites are covered in gambling in Sweden.
Phone calls, doorbells and collectors
Lottery subscriptions are sold by phone as well as online, and the law now regulates the phone part. Since 1 June 2024, a lottery seller who calls you must say at the start who they represent, why they are calling and their own name. A contract only exists if you accept the written offer after the call. Without that, it is invalid and you owe nothing (see NIX and telemarketing).
There’s no 14-day cooling-off period for lotteries, though. Sweden’s distance and doorstep sales act excludes betting and lottery services, so what protects you is the operator’s own terms. Postkodlotteriet lets you leave at any time, in writing or orally. If you pay by autogiro (direct debit), the cancellation must arrive at least five bank days before the next payment.
At the door, Polisen’s advice applies whoever is ringing:
- Ask a doorstep seller to come back so you have time to decide.
- Never hand over your card, PIN or ID document.
- Phone the organisation on a number you look up yourself if someone claims to represent it.
- For donations, look for a 90-account: a Bankgiro, Plusgiro or Swish number starting with 90, checked by Svensk Insamlingskontroll, a private non-profit.
- Check lotteries in Spelinspektionen’s licence register before you pay.
Warning: Polisen describes a known fraud: a call says you’ve won a lottery, then someone arrives with a card reader to “transfer the prize” and steals your card and PIN. Postkodlotteriet never announces wins on social media and never asks for bank details when you win. More patterns in scams in Sweden.
Party lotteries and the 2026 rules
Political parties count as public-benefit associations, so they can hold lottery licences too. In September 2024 a newspaper investigation found that outsourced telemarketers had pressured confused elderly people into buying the Social Democrats’ party lottery. The party’s lottery company dropped external phone sales and its CEO was dismissed.
Parliament then tightened the rules. Since 1 January 2026:
| Rule | Party lotteries | Other charity lotteries |
|---|---|---|
| Party name on the ticket front and in ads | Required | Not applicable |
| Gambling tax (22%) | Paid | Exempt |
| Repeat bonus offers | Not allowed | Allowed |
| Credit exception from Spelinspektionen | Not available | Possible, small amounts |
Still moving in 2026: in September 2026 the Consumer Ombudsman (KO) took Postkodlotteriet to court, arguing that its Instagram ads break the Gambling Act’s requirement of moderate marketing. Postkodlotteriet disagrees and welcomes a ruling. Older pages won’t mention it.
Practical information
| Item | What to know | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Postkodlotteriet ticket | SEK 188 per month per ticket, paid in advance; the operator sets the price | 2026-10-14 |
| Paying by invoice | An administrative fee applies; autogiro and cards avoid it | 2026-10-14 |
| Cancelling | Any time, in writing or orally; autogiro at least five bank days before payment | 2026-10-14 |
| Lottery winnings | Tax-free if the lottery is Swedish-licensed | 2026-10-14 |
| Licence register and 90-account list | Free to check online | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
What is Postkodlotteriet?
Postkodlotteriet is Sweden’s largest lottery, a monthly subscription run since 2005 for an association of charities. Your ticket number is your postcode plus three digits, so neighbors with tickets win together when their postcode is drawn. Draws happen every day, the TV show Postkodmiljonären runs on TV4, and the yearly surplus goes to 62 non-profit organisations.
How much of Postkodlotteriet goes to charity?
About a quarter. In 2025 the lottery took in SEK 3.975 billion, paid SEK 1.59 billion in prizes plus SEK 133 million in gifts and premiums, spent SEK 1.2 billion on running costs, and passed over SEK 1 billion to charities. Swedish law sets no minimum charity share; it caps prizes at 50 percent and requires a reasonable return.
Can tourists or foreigners play Postkodlotteriet?
Tourists cannot. The terms require a registered address in Sweden, so only people in the Swedish population register can subscribe, and you must be 18 or older. Nationality does not matter: a foreign citizen who has moved to Sweden and registered can join. If you later move abroad, the subscription ends because your ticket number depends on your Swedish address.
Is Postkodlotteriet legit?
Yes. It runs under a licence from Spelinspektionen, the gambling authority, held by the charity association Svenska Postkodföreningen for 2025 to 2029, and its surplus distribution model is approved by the authority. Scammers do use its name: the real lottery never announces wins on social media and never asks for bank details when you win.
How do I cancel a Postkodlotteriet subscription?
Tell the operator, in writing or by phone, at any time; the terms have no fixed binding period. If you pay by autogiro, the cancellation must arrive at least five bank days before the next payment. There is no statutory 14-day cooling-off period, because Sweden’s distance-selling act excludes lotteries, so the operator’s own terms are what count.
Why do Swedish political parties run lotteries?
Parties count as public-benefit associations under the Gambling Act, so they can hold lottery licences. After a 2024 newspaper investigation into telephone sales of party lottery tickets to elderly people, new rules followed. Since 1 January 2026 party lotteries must print the party name on tickets, pay gambling tax and cannot get the credit or bonus exceptions other charity lotteries have.
Do I pay tax on lottery winnings in Sweden?
No, not on prizes from a lottery licensed in Sweden, or offered in Sweden without needing a licence. That covers Postkodlotteriet, Svenska Spel and local club raffles. The tax-free rule comes from the Income Tax Act. Winnings from unlicensed gambling aimed at Sweden are a different matter, covered in the gambling guide.
Related guides
- Gambling in Sweden — the rest of the licensed market, age limits and Spelpaus
- NIX and telemarketing rules — how to stop lottery sales calls
- Föreningar: Swedish club life — the associations behind local raffles
- Swedish addresses explained — what a postcode is, the key to the ticket number
- Scams in Sweden — the wider pattern behind “you’ve won” calls
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Spellag 2018:1138, Spelförordning 2018:1475, Lag 2018:1139, Inkomstskattelag 1999:1229, Lag 2005:59, SFS 2025:767 and 2025:768), Spelinspektionen, Konsumentverket, Polismyndigheten, Svensk Insamlingskontroll, Postkodlotteriet’s 2025 annual report and terms, TV4/TT — full register in this topic’s source file. This is general information, not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.