Sweden ends state casino licences, closing Casino Cosmopol
From 1 January 2026, casino gambling was removed from Sweden's state licence, ending land-based casino operation by Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm.
By Oliwer Brewitz, Head of Marketing
Key changes
- Casino gambling removed from the state licence type
- No licence available to run a land-based casino in Sweden
- Restaurant and ship gaming continue, but not in dedicated rooms
- Spelinspektionen may require AML reporting from operators (from 1 July 2025)
What changed
Government Bill 2024/25:73, Avveckling av statliga kasinon, was dated 19 December 2024 and approved by the Committee on Cultural Affairs in report 2024/25:KrU9 of 25 March 2025. It removes casino gambling (spel på kasino) from the state licence type. Since that was the only licence covering casino venues, no operator can be licensed to run one. This ended Casino Cosmopol AB's remaining casino in Stockholm, after its other three casinos had already closed. Slot machines and similar games at restaurants and on ships in international traffic continue, but may not be offered in rooms set aside for them. A separate change, in force from 1 July 2025, lets Spelinspektionen require operators to report information about their business and customers for anti-money-laundering supervision. The casino changes took effect on 1 January 2026.
What it means for advertising
Land-based casino venues can no longer be legally operated or promoted in Sweden. Casino advertising aimed at Swedish consumers is now limited to licensed online casino brands and to the restaurant and ship gaming that remains permitted. Promoting casino venues within Sweden would fall under the ban on promoting unlicensed gambling, which also applies to media owners and other intermediaries that carry the advertising.
What operators should do
Remove any references to Swedish casino venues from campaigns, sponsorship assets and affiliate content. Media owners should stop accepting bookings for Swedish land-based casino promotions. Online licence holders should prepare systems and processes for Spelinspektionen's reporting requests under the new anti-money-laundering power, which has applied since 1 July 2025. Agencies should also update Swedish media briefs and brand-safety lists so that land-based casino brands are no longer booked.
Full rules: Sweden regulation brief · All Sweden updates