The post Swedish Armed Police Bust Low-Stakes Poker Tournament in Stockholm appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.
A raid on a Stockholm poker club by multiple armed Swedish enforcement agencies took place recently during what participants allege was a €100 ($116) buy-in poker event attended by almost 100 players.
According to Dagens Nyheter, police in tactical gear stormed the “long-running Krukan poker club” in Södermalm during the tournament late on Friday.
VegasSlotsOnline News’ own David Lappin took to X with footage of the raid and how the now shuttered club was illegally operating without a Swedish Gambling Authority license:
Scary scenes from what looks like a poker tournament in a club in Sweden.
Poker is legal in Sweden if you have a license from the Swedish Gambling Authority. However, only 4 land casinos are currently operating in the country, all owned by Casino Cosmopol, a state-run company. pic.twitter.com/NWMKg2yuYw
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David Lappin
Since Sweden abolished all land-based casino gambling in April, including phasing out all four state-owned Casino Cosmopol venues, only regulated online poker and iCasino games remain legal and licensed.
According to Swedish media, the major bust was supported by drones, a helicopter, and Europol in what officials described as “a calm and controlled” operation.
far more forceful than official accounts have indicated.”
The Swedish Poker Association (SvePof) however, claims it has taken multiple testimonies suggesting the raid “was far more forceful than official accounts have indicated.”
SvePof shared allegations of officers pushing some attendees to the floor “including elderly players,” pointing weapons at players, forcing some “to sit for hours with their hands on their heads.” A noted personality in the Swedish poker community also allegedly sent the non-profit body a photo of his bloody face.
SvePof said that, while it couldn’t verify all the claims, the consistency of the allegations “raises important questions about proportionality and the treatment of individuals not suspected of any crime.”
The post Swedish Armed Police Bust Low-Stakes Poker Tournament in Stockholm appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.
