Swedish Regulator Temporarily Pulls Charm Entertainment's Casino Licence

^{Sweden's gambling regulator has temporarily pulled Charm Entertainment AB's land-based casino licence while a criminal investigation continues. (Photo: Stockholm City Hall / Wikimedia Commons)}

Sweden's gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has temporarily revoked Charm Entertainment AB's licence to run commercial land-based casino games, ordering the company to stop all licensed activity immediately.

The decision, dated 1 October 2026, will stay in force until a final ruling is reached or until 1 April 2027 at the latest, whichever comes first.

A Supervisory Probe That Started in May

Spelinspektionen opened its investigation into Charm on 27 May 2026, focused on the company's compliance with Sweden's Gambling Act along with tax, accounting and bookkeeping rules. The regulator reviewed Charm's annual reports from 2023 through 2025 and material connected to a separate criminal preliminary investigation heard before Södertälje District Court.

That criminal case centres on Lucky 21 Casino AB, a previously licensed operator that shares much of its personnel and premises with Charm. Current and former executives tied to both companies have been charged with offences including aggravated accounting crimes.

Two Filings for the Same Year Raised Flags

Investigators found Charm had submitted two separate filings for its 2023 financial year, a discrepancy the regulator said raised serious doubts about the integrity of its bookkeeping. Combined with the overlap in staff and leadership with Lucky 21, Spelinspektionen said there were "probable reasons" to believe Charm no longer met the legal requirements to hold a licence, according to details of the decision reported by iGaming Business.

The regulator said immediate suspension was necessary given the risk that practices alleged at Lucky 21 could persist at Charm, and the danger of gambling activity continuing under what it called deficient accounting standards.

Charm can appeal the decision, but the suspension can run for up to six months initially, with a possible six-month extension if circumstances warrant it. The case follows Sweden's wider gambling tax fight over how far compliance pressure is pushing operators and players toward the unlicensed market, and comes in a year that has also seen Spelinspektionen's own enforcement decisions challenged on appeal, including a reversed fine against Malta-based LeoVegas.

Part of a Broader Licensing Push

The Charm suspension comes as Sweden continues to tighten scrutiny of its licensed land-based casino sector, alongside licence renewals elsewhere in Europe as regulators work through backlogs of operators due for periodic review.

Charm has not issued a public response to the revocation. Casinos.com has sought comment and will update this story if the company responds.