President & CEO, Betsson
iGB@ICE 2026: Leadership, regulation & culture with Pontus Lindwall
Pontus Lindwall, CEO of Betsson, joins the ICE Studio at ICE to reflect on leadership, regulation and company culture after decades at the helm.
Watch at iGB: https://igamingbusiness.com/igb-ice/p...
About Pontus Lindwall
Pontus Lindwall, President and CEO of Betsson, spoke at an event titled "Gaming in the Nordics 2026" in Copenhagen on July 1, 2026. He discussed the regulatory landscape across five Nordic markets, describing them as "all in motion." Lindwall said he expects new regulation in Finland to take effect on July 1, 2027, and expressed hope that Finland would model its rules on Sweden and Denmark rather than Norway. He characterized Finland as "a monopoly in transition." Regarding Iceland, he stated that the country has "like 0% channelization" because no regulated online business currently operates there, though he noted that some Icelandic attendees had told him regulation is forthcoming. Lindwall also commented on other European markets. He said Betsson had been "forced to exit UK and Germany," describing the UK as having "cranked up the taxes" and Germany as having "over restriction." He argued that "good regulation is good business for players, society and operators alike" and stated that "channelization is the scoreboard" for evaluating regulated markets.
Transcript (24 segments)
I
Interviewer0:03
Welcome back to the studio. I'm joined by Pontus Lindwall, the CEO of Betsson. Welcome into the studio. Great to see you again.
P
Pontus Lindwall0:11
Yeah, thank you very much. Good to see you, too.
I
Interviewer0:13
Now, you've been at the helm of Betsson for a very long time.
P
Pontus Lindwall0:17
Yeah.
I
Interviewer0:18
Looking back, what version of yourself started out as a CEO? And what are the main differences between that guy and the Pontus Lindwall that sits before me now? I hope not too much of a difference.
P
Pontus Lindwall0:31
Maybe I'm a little bit more democratic now. But that's natural because I have so many talents around me. So I try to kind of land decisions together with my colleagues. Whereas when I started it was much smaller. I was the entrepreneur and CEO. I had to make the calls more or less by myself back then.
I
Interviewer0:55
And what still excites you about the job after all these years? And what perhaps drains you a little bit?
P
Pontus Lindwall1:03
The only thing that drains me are bad proposals by regulators because that's so bad for the whole industry and the purpose of what we do. Everything else excites me. A normal day at the office, it's exciting. A day like this is very exciting. The day at the Inter soccer game which we sponsor is very exciting. So I think I have a very exciting job overall.
I
Interviewer1:37
And being a CEO of a listed gaming company means you're under constant scrutiny for all directions. How do you cope with that pressure?
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Pontus Lindwall1:45
I have grown into that and I meet people from time to time that ask me how is it to be CEO of a listed public company? I've been that for such a long time so it's my normal life. I hardly notice it.
I
Interviewer2:05
And what's the hardest business decision you've ever had to make?
P
Pontus Lindwall2:10
There's been many hard decisions, but the worst thing in general is when you have to let people go from the business. That has happened a few times, especially in the early days when the company was not making any money and we couldn't get more funds into the company. Yeah, that's the hardest part of the job, to let go of people. But everything else is good.
I
Interviewer2:40
And have there been any criticisms from the public about the industry or Betsson that have been difficult to process but might have been fair?
P
Pontus Lindwall2:53
There is always criticism against our industry amongst the public and also in the financial sector about our industry as well. In my view, we are an industry which is accepted by the society in general because we are being regulated by most countries and that means that most governments approve us as a business and they tax us for that. They like us, but we all have to recognize that the gaming business has a little bit of a different approach and rumors around it than other industries. I think it's natural and we have to live with it and we have to try to do our best to behave and to get a better reputation out there.
I
Interviewer3:48
And getting a bit more personal now, has being a CEO changed how you live your life outside of work?
P
Pontus Lindwall3:57
Yeah, it has. First of all, being a CEO of a listed company, you always work in a way. So, of course, when I go on vacation with my kids, I check the emails every day. I take the calls. It's like I actually work every day of the year, I'm always available. So that is a change for me as a person and my spare time being a CEO of a listed company.
I
Interviewer4:28
So switching off doesn't exist for you.
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Pontus Lindwall4:32
I have managed to do that, learn how to do that by switching off. For me, it's like when I go on vacation, I go up, I do my emails, I have a coffee, then I go out. Okay, I'm switched off. And then there's a call. Wow, I have to take this. I take it and then I switch off again. I have learned how to manage that.
I
Interviewer4:54
And has your definition of success changed over the years?
P
Pontus Lindwall4:59
Yes. No, it has not actually. I think for most entrepreneurs that fund a company, start a company, they do that in order to, it's like to try to run a marathon. You just want to try it and prove to yourself that you can do it. It's the same with a company. And most people do it to prove that I believe in this idea. I believe I can create something. I believe I can fill this gap somewhere with this product or something. And that's what drives me and that hasn't changed, that's still the driver.
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Interviewer5:42
And when people looking back talk about your tenure at Betsson, what do you hope people will say?
P
Pontus Lindwall5:50
I hope that people will say that this was a terrific company to work in. This is a company with a great culture where we respect everybody and we cooperate. We do it as one company, one Betsson wherever we are based in the world. And I usually say that Betsson is my second family. I hope all my people in Betsson feel the same. And I actually get that feedback quite often. Even when people leave the company and explore new adventures, they say this has been an amazing journey, an amazing team to work with. And when I hear that, that's really, my heart goes like, wow, I'm proud.
I
Interviewer6:36
Oh, so wonderful to hear that. Thank you for coming into the studio and I wish you the best for the rest of your tenure.
P
Pontus Lindwall6:42
Thank you very much.