According to Swedish media, armed police stormed the Krukan poker club during a poker tournament on suspicion of illegal gambling and organised economic crime. Allegedly, there was a €100 tournament running, and around 100 people were in the club.
Earlier this year, Sweden’s state-run casino shut down. And there have been some underground poker clubs operating in a legal grey area due to a lack of proper licenses. Last night, authorities raided the most well-known one in Stockholm.
Except for fully armed policemen, there were also drones, helicopters, and the involvement of Europol, the Swedish Gambling Authority, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority, according to the media.
The operation was part of a bigger hunt for illegal activities, and as a result, there were three people arrested at their houses as they were suspected of illegal gambling and money laundering.
Details of the operations by witnesses:
- – It was a forceful entry where police pushed people to the ground
- – The police were pointing weapons at players
- – Some say there was a shooting as well
- – Some were forced to sit for hours and threatened
- – A well-known poker player sent a photo of his bloody face to the Swedish Poker Federation
- – Most of the people were searched, questioned, and released after a few hours
The Swedish Poker Federation couldn’t confirm all the testimonies, but the consistency of the testimonies raised some eyebrows, and there is a suspicion that they were treated unfairly.
Poker is legal in Sweden, but there is a requirement for licences, which makes unlicensed clubs like Krukan illegal. Earlier this year, the Swedish parliament voted to close all live casinos, and no private operators will be able to request a license, effectively pushing poker from live to online in Sweden.
