Svenska Spel Sport & Casino renames horse games following legal dispute

Svenska Spel Sport & Casino has rebranded its horse games as Svenska Spel Hästar following a legal dispute with ATG over the former's trotting venture. 

The Patent and Market Appeal Court – in its judgment on 25 January – ruled in favour of ATG， leading to the decision for a name change. 

CEO and business area manager of Svenska Spel Sport & Casino， Fredrik Wastenson， stated: “For our customers， this means no changes apart from the name change. We are proud of our fantastic offer on horses， which will be available just like before， but now under Svenska Spel Hästar. 

“We think it is strange that the court considers that descriptive words for a business can have such high protection，bet per line slot game but obviously we respect the court's decision.”

In a parallel development， Svenska Spel also disclosed plans to shut down Casino Cosmopol in Gothenburg and Malmö earlier this week due to profitability challenges stemming from dwindling visitor numbers. 

The ongoing shift towards online casino gaming， accelerated by market reregulation in 2019 and the subsequent pandemic， has significantly impacted land-based casinos. Casino Cosmopol's subsequent struggles with profitability led to restructuring efforts – including reduced opening hours and staff cuts – but the losses persisted and ultimately brought about the casino's closure.

Despite these news items – and what has undoubtedly been a difficult week for Svenska Spel – the company still has high hopes for the renamed Svenska Spel Hästar， and aims to keep providing a comprehensive trotting experience to customers.