SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Spelinspektionen, the Gambling Inspectorate of Sweden, has urged the government to consider the specific impacts of terminating the Casino Cosmopol business operated by Svenska Spel.
The Inspectorate has published its response to a state memorandum on the closure of Casino Cosmopol’s operations, which is supported by members of Sweden’s Conservative Coalition government.
The four parties forming Sweden’s Tidö Coalition believe that the Swedish State should “no longer be involved in hard gambling,” and that Svenska Spel should not have privileges to operate a loss-making casino unit.
Publishing a response submitted by Deputy Director General Patrik Gustavsson and Legal Counsel Charlotte Nothnagel, Spelinspektionen raised no objection to the termination of Casino Cosmopol.
However, Spelinspektionen underscored concerns raised by the Swedish Police regarding certain land-based consumers becoming exposed to illegal gambling. Yet, the extent of exposure to illegal gambling remains uncertain.
Should the government proceed to ‘phase out’ Casino Cosmopol, the Inspectorate will require resources to combat illegal gambling and to warn national consumers of the changes.
“Spelinspektionen has acted as an expert in a handful of cases in recent years where prosecutions have been brought. Although the number of such cases is relatively few today, the authority believes that law enforcement authorities are increasingly paying attention to illegal gambling.”
In the first half of the year, Svenska Spel closed loss-making Casino Cosmopol venues in the cities of Malmö and Gothenburg, which reported annual losses of SEK 35m (€3m).
Svenska Spel currently operates one Casino Cosmopol location in Stockholm. If the proposal is approved, Casino Cosmopol Stockholm would be required to close by 1 January 2026, affecting approximately 200 jobs.
The memorandum contained further proposals that state lotteries should no longer have any limitations with regards to jackpots and prizes offered.
At present, the prize values of Swedish state lottery products (draws, scratch cards, and games) “may not exceed 50 percent of the value of the stakes in the game during the same period.”
The Inspectorate noted that if prize limitations are lifted, a change should be made to the Gambling Ordinance to maintain fair competition with lotteries for public benefit purposes.
“If the limitation for state lotteries is removed, the provision should apply to all lotteries so as not to change the current competitive conditions for lotteries intended for public benefit purposes.”
Meanwhile, providing feedback on AML safeguards for gambling, Spelinspektionen stated that it supports enhancing its role in anti-money laundering efforts, consistent with its past requests, and stressed the need for regular data collection in line with future European Union and international reporting requirements.
