Sweden’s “first international casino” to close

Svenska Spel will close Casino Cosmopol Sundsvall due to declining business.

Sweden.- Svenska Spel has announced it will permanently close its Casino Cosmopol venue in Sundsvall with immediate effect.

The decision comes after a long decline in visits and the resulting drop in profits.

The venue was billed as Sweden’s first international casino when it opened in 2001, but the number of players visiting the casino has fallen constantly over the last 10 years.

Svenska Spel blamed the downturn partly on the transition of players to online casinos. 

It said all 68 staff employed at the property would be invited to apply for other jobs with the operator.

Svenska Spel President and Chief Executive, Patrik Hofbauer, said: “It is a sad message to have to give to our talented employees, but we must adapt to prevailing market conditions.

“With a constantly declining customer base, the casino in Sundsvall is no longer profitable and then it is unfortunately not commercially defensible to continue to run the business.”

The closure will not impact Casino Cosmopol’s properties in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, although all locations currently remain closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The casinos closed on March 29 and no date has been set for reopening. 

The operator has since launched a retraining scheme, allowing furloughed employees to retrain as healthcare workers.

Svenska Spel saw gaming revenue across its business fall 9.6 per cent for the first half.