Spelinspektionen temporarily revokes Charm Entertainment's casino licence

Sweden's gambling regulator has temporarily pulled the licence of land-based casino operator Charm Entertainment AB. It says the company probably no longer meets the conditions for holding one.

Charm must stop all licensed activity immediately.

What happened

The decision covers Charm's licence for commercial land-based casino gaming. The measure remains in force until Spelinspektionen reaches its final decision, with 1 April 2027 as the latest end date.

The regulator opened a supervisory case on 27 May 2026.

As part of the review, Spelinspektionen examined Charm's annual reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025. It found that two annual reports had been registered for 2023. iGaming Business reported that the two filings raised substantial concerns about the integrity of Charm's bookkeeping compliance.

It also read material from a criminal preliminary investigation, case B 1563-24 at Södertälje District Court. According to the regulator, charges have been brought against present and past Charm managers for a number of offences, including aggravated accounting crimes. Those alleged offences relate to Lucky 21 Casino AB, a casino operator that previously held a Swedish licence.

Spelinspektionen described the two companies' operations as virtually identical. It said the casinos were run from largely the same locations, with the same individuals involved.

The regulator said the review of Charm's annual reports gave "strong grounds to assume" that the conduct behind the charges over Lucky 21 is continuing at Charm. It added that it considered it unlikely that Charm could be run by an entirely new management with no ties to the current leadership.

Why it matters

The regulator treats compliance with tax, accounting and bookkeeping law as a basic condition for any gambling licence. In its own announcement, it called this a fundamental requirement for providing games.

The regulator also looked beyond the licensee's own filings. Spelinspektionen has not made a final finding.

Spelinspektionen said it considered an immediate suspension necessary. Its aim was to stop gambling from enabling criminal behaviour or running with deficient accounting.

What's next

The suspension runs for up to six months while the regulator works towards a final decision. If special reasons arise, it can be extended once, by a further six months. The decision can be appealed.