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There will soon be no traces of Sweden’s state land-based gambling heritage left, with Casino Cosmopol due to close its doors forever.
The last remaining bastion of the Swedish national brick-and-mortar industry has been given the death penalty, with the sentence due to be carried out on 1 January, 2026.
However, the last reminiscent of the once mighty Casino Cosmopol empire – a venue nestled between history-drenched walls right at the heart of Stockholm’s city centre – will most likely become part of history itself much sooner than that.
Riksdag’s parliamentarians initiated the liquidation procedure, instructing the transfer of the Cosmopol brand from state operator Svenska Spel’s ownership into private hands by the end of this year.
Casino Cosmopol’s management has expressed that it remains at the ready to assist with the inevitable transition. Ola Enquist, CEO of Casino Cosmopol, said: “We have initiated union negotiations and are holding a dialogue on how a liquidation should be carried out so that it is as good as possible.
“We are also keen to help our employees continue in their working lives after closure.”
The closure is set to be discussed in more detail during Svenska Spel’s general meeting on 24 April, when Enquist will pinpoint all potential closure dates.
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An internal post-pandemic review by Svenka Spel in 2023 revealed that Casino Cosmopol had not been able to meaningfully recover. The first to fall victim of this revelation were the venues in Gothenburg and Malmö.
Clouds of uncertainty then circled around the casino in Stockholm. The venue’s fate was officially confirmed in the 2023 financial report of Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, which revealed that state casino turnover – driven by Casino Cosmopol – was nothing but a dead weight to the total national GGR.
Cutting this weight off soon became part of the regular conversations at the Riksdag, which then led to where we are today.
Offering a final sing-off to this “end of an era”, Enquist concluded: “We share the government’s assessment and have been prepared for the Riksdag’s decision.
“Nevertheless, it is of course emotionally tough because it means that an era will end when the casino in Stockholm eventually closes. Our focus right now is to support our employees, and at the same time stay open and continue to take care of our guests.”
