Union wants answers on Casino Cosmopol closures

Svenska Spel has been asked the explain its rationale for closing two of its three land-based casinos.

Sweden.- The Swedish trade union for hotel and restaurant workers, Hotell och Restaurangfacket (HRF), has asked Svenska Spel to explain the decision to close two of its three Casino Cosmopol land-based casinos.

Svenska Spel announced last month that it would close its casinos in Gothenburg and Malmö, leaving only the flagship venue in Stockholm. It said it had made the decision to “limit losses”. The move is expected to affect 200 staff.

However, HRF’s lawyer, Eva-Lotta Ramberg, told Swedish media that the union does not agree with the decision and had “different views on whether it is possible to run the business or not”.

“For our part, it is important to show that our opinion is firm. It is possible to continue the business in Malmö and Gothenburg,” she said, adding that the union could demand government intervention in the matter.

Meanwhile, Svenska Spel has rebranded its horse racing games following its Supreme Court legal defeat to horseracing betting operator Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG). The games will now be branded as Svenska Spel Hästar.

ATG had sued its fellow former monopoly operator over its use of the phrase “Trav och Galopp” in a racing product that it launched with France’s Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) in September 2020. ATG had argued that the use of the slogan, which means “trot and gallop” infringed on its company name.

The state-controlled gambling operator Svenska Spel has announced a deal with the UK’s Gamban to provide free gambling block software to players who choose to self-exclude. Such players will be offered a free Gamban licence and access to the Gamban app for support.