According to information to SVT, Casino Cosmopol will start negotiations on the closure of what was 20 years ago as Sweden's first casino of international class.

Decisions for the week

Casino Cosmopol's Board of Directors is expected to decide on the closure of the casino in Sundsvall this week.

"No decisions have been made," says Casino Cosmopol's Press Manager Nina Ehnhage to SVT. However, she confirms that online gambling has meant an increasingly tough competitive situation for the country's international casinos, which today are four; Sundsvall, Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm.

These days, representatives of trade union organizations have been called to negotiations on the closure and closure of both the casino and its restaurant operations in Sundsvall. More than 150 people are affected.

Stubborn rumors

Casino Cosmopol does not want to comment on the request for MBL negotiations made to the trade union with reference to the fact that it is internal documents, but the Hotel and restaurant trade union confirm that they have received a negotiation request from Casino Cosmopol. According to their ombudsman, Susanne Bali, it has been rumored for some time that the casino in Sundsvall may be closed down.

"It is true and it thrives on such information, but the decision has been delayed in the future," says Susanne Bali.

The country's four international casinos that have been around for almost 20 years were started in 2001 to counter illegal gambling and provide tax revenue. In Sundsvall, the old wooden railway station was given new life when gaming tables and slot machines moved in, but since then much has happened in the gaming market.

The most important event is the abolition of the gaming monopoly in 2019 which has led to today there are 69 companies with a Swedish gaming license competing for customers.

The gaming monopoly abolished

For Casino Cosmopol in recent years has meant declining profit figures, but the company that has sales of just over SEK 1.1 billion last reported a satisfactory profit of just over SEK 400 million, which, however, was 2018, the year before the abolition of the gaming monopoly.

When the international casino business was built up in Sweden, the three big cities were self-written to have their own. The establishment of the fourth casino was the subject of fierce competition between several locations and the election finally fell on Sundsvall due to what was reported to be the steady flow of business travelers to the resort.