Charm Entertainment’s Swedish casino licence suspended by Spelinspektionen

Charm entertainment AB has been ordered to stop its licensed land-based casino operations in Sweden after Spelinspektionen imposed an interim withdrawal of its gambling licences on 2 October 2026. For PSPs and banking partners, the useful bit is simple: this is not a routine compliance warning, it is a live licence action covering all of Charm’s licences and registered gaming venues.

1. Spelinspektionen’s decision was dated 1 October 2026 and announced on 2 October 2026. Under the order, Charm must stop licensed activity immediately. The interim measure stays in force until the licensing matter is finally determined, but no later than 1 April 2027.
2. The regulator stressed that this is not a final ruling on the underlying issues. It is using an interim tool available under Swedish gambling law while it considers whether to permanently withdraw the licences. That distinction matters, because the regulator is making a licensing assessment here, not issuing a criminal judgment.
3. Spelinspektionen opened its supervisory case against Charm entertainment AB on 27 May 2026. In the review, it examined annual reports for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 financial years, plus material from a preliminary investigation connected to proceedings before Södertälje District Court.
4. The regulator’s focus is whether Charm still meets the requirements for a Swedish gambling licence. Those requirements go beyond the games themselves and cover how the licence holder runs the business under applicable law. Spelinspektionen specifically pointed to taxation, accounting and bookkeeping, and said compliance with applicable laws is a fundamental condition for holding a gambling licence under the Swedish Gambling Act.
5. A major part of the decision relies on material from a criminal case file at Södertälje District Court. Spelinspektionen said current and former individuals in Charm’s management had been charged with offences including gross accounting offences in connection with a separate casino company that had previously held a gambling licence. The authority used that material when assessing suitability, while noting that charges are not convictions and do not amount to a final judicial finding of criminal responsibility.

The wider criminal proceedings were publicly described by Sweden’s Economic Crime Authority in May 2026, when it said four people were involved. For payment companies, the takeaway is that Swedish licensing risk can move fast once the regulator starts treating management history, accounting conduct, and court material as part of the suitability test.