Interview with Casinor.com’s Senior Content Editor Marcus Eriksson

TheGamblest recently had a talk with the Casinor.com’s Senior Content Editor Marcus Eriksson. Eriksson discussed Casinor’s content and how it helps Swedish players to compare and evaluate online casinos. TheGamblest: Casinor has built its content around helping Swedish players compare and evaluate online casinos. What have you learned about what players actually care about when choosing a casino, and has that changed over the years? Marcus: Honestly, it’s changed a lot since I started doing this. Back in the day people mostly just wanted the biggest bonus number they could find. That was basically the whole decision. These days players are way more careful. They actually read the terms now. They ask about wagering requirements. They check if a site has a proper Spelinspektionen license before they even look at the bonus. Payment stuff matters more too. Swish and BankID aren’t a nice extra anymore, people just expect it. If it’s missing they get suspicious. So the short version is bonuses used to be everything. Now trust is everything, and the bonus is just one small part of that. TheGamblest: When Casinor evaluates an operator, what are the first things you look at beyond the obvious bonus and game selection? Marcus: Licensing, every time, no exceptions. If that’s not solid there’s really no point looking further. After that I’m curious about how fast and how easily you can actually get your money out. That’s usually where operators try to sneak in annoying conditions. I also like to test customer support myself rather than take their word for it. I’ll jump into live chat and see how they actually respond. And I pay attention to what real players say on forums and review sites. Complaints tend to reveal a lot more than marketing pages ever will. Game fairness matters too, obviously. We check that games are audited by places like iTech Labs or eCOGRA, and how clearly they present their responsible gambling tools. TheGamblest: As Senior Content Editor, how do you think the role of SEO in iGaming content has changed in recent years, and would you say you have found the balance between creating content that performs well in search and content that is genuinely useful to the reader? Marcus: It’s changed massively, honestly. It used to be all about stuffing keywords in and building as many backlinks as possible. Now Google actually rewards content that shows real expertise and gets kept up to date. That’s a good thing for everyone, in my opinion. As for the balance, I think the trick is to start with what the reader actually wants to know, not with the keyword. If someone searches “casino med snabba uttag,” they want to understand what that actually means for them. Not just get handed a list. We still make the list because people find it useful. But it’s the explanation around it that builds trust. Funnily enough, that’s usually also what ends up ranking well long term. Content with no real substance behind it might get a quick spike, but it never lasts. TheGamblest: Trust is a major theme across Casinor’s content, from licensing and payment methods to responsible gaming and withdrawal times. In your experience, what are the biggest trust issues players still overlook when choosing an online casino? Marcus: Two things come up again and again. People assume all licenses are basically the same. In reality, a Curaçao license and a Spelinspektionen license offer completely different levels of protection if something goes wrong. The other one is wagering requirements. Players get excited about a “free” bonus and don’t really read what’s attached to it. Then they feel let down when it’s actually hard to withdraw anything. I don’t think it’s usually operators trying to trick people on purpose. It’s more that there’s a gap between what players know and what they should know. That gap is exactly why sites like ours exist. TheGamblest: The Swedish market has its own regulatory environment and player expectations. What makes the Swedish casino market particularly challenging for operators and affiliates, and what do you think international companies often misunderstand about it? Marcus: The Swedish gambling law, Spellagen from 2018, is strict on purpose. It’s built to protect players, keep things clear on tax, and push responsible gambling. Even if that means less flexibility for operators. What I see international companies get wrong a lot is underestimating how much Swedish players expect BankID and Swish to just work seamlessly. Something that feels totally normal in another European market can feel off here if the payment experience isn’t smooth. There’s also this idea floating around that playing on an unlicensed or offshore casino is illegal for Swedish players. That isn’t actually true. But some operators lean into that confusion in their marketing instead of just being upfront about it. That doesn’t really win trust with a Swedish audience anymore. People know more than they used to. TheGamblest: Looking ahead, which factors do you predict will matter most for player acquisition? Marcus: I really think trust signals are going to keep beating out bonus size. Fast payments, honest and visible responsible gambling tools, comparison content that actually helps rather than just sells. That’s where things are heading. Personalization is coming too. Players want recommendations that fit them specifically, instead of just another generic top ten list. And with so much AI generated content flooding the space now, I actually think sites that keep real editorial oversight and real expertise behind what they publish are going to stand out more. Not less. TheGamblest: What do you think affiliates and comparison sites should realistically do to promote safer gambling without simply treating responsible gaming as a compliance checkbox? Marcus: I think it needs to be part of the actual review. Not just a paragraph tucked away somewhere nobody clicks on. When we evaluate a casino, things like self exclusion tools, deposit limits and reality checks are part of what we’re actually judging. Not an afterthought at the bottom. We also try to be honest that gambling is entertainment with real risk, not a way to make money. Even though that’s not always the message that converts best. I don’t think affiliates alone can fix problem gambling. That’s on operators, regulators and support services too. But we can stop making wins look glamorous without context. And we can make sure people know where to get help, like Stödlinjen, before they’re already in trouble. Not just when they finally ask. TheGamblest: Finally, after working closely with casino operators, content and the Swedish market, what is one non-negotiable factor for building long-term trust with players? Marcus: Just being honest, even when it’s not the most profitable thing to say. If a casino doesn’t deserve a recommendation, we say that plainly. Doesn’t matter how big their commission is. The second a comparison site starts protecting operators instead of the people actually reading it, it stops being worth anything. Trust isn’t built with one big statement. It’s built review by review, being willing to say the unflattering thing when it’s true.