On Friday night at the local poker club, things started off quietly, but suddenly took a dramatic turn that took everyone by surprise.
Police, helicopters, drones and Swedish gambling regulators stormed the premises.
Soon, the โฌ100 buy-in game turned into an experience that players say they will never forget.
The authorities later confirmed that the club was operating without a valid licence.
A few locals thought it was a community poker room, but law enforcement called it an illegal gambling place.
A sudden raid that shocked players
According to witnesses, police officers stormed the premises with guns drawn.
Later that night, after several house searches, officers arrested three men.
According to the police, the club was run by three men, one in his 30s and two in their 40s.
Police said they had seized “a significant amount of property” related to illegal gambling and other money-related crimes.
An official police statement indicated that the raid went smoothly and professionally.
However, the people in the room gave a very different picture. Many players were unhappy with the way they were treated, especially as older players were pinned to the ground.
Some players reported that they had to stand still for hours with their hands on their heads.
According to the Swedish Poker Association, several complaints were received about the violent nature of the raid.
SWAT team with #guns drawn, #Europol on site, and drones over Stockholm #sweden๐ธ๐ช.. all for a โฌ100 tournament full of hobby poker players.
Pokerwired.com (@pokerwired) November 29, 2025
This is #livepoker.#svepol #poker #pokerunderattack #sga #spelinspektionen #krukan #svepof pic.twitter.com/4PRrclvTi2-
Legal status of poker in Sweden
There is no law prohibiting poker in Sweden. Any resident of the country can play online games as long as the site is licensed by the Swedish Gaming Authority.
Live poker games can also be organised, provided that the organiser complies with the licensing rules.
The requirements of Kruken Poker Club are clear. The club has never held any of these licences.
It is still unclear how it could have operated for so long without attracting any attention.
Some residents in the area believe that the police may have assumed that the club was a small, non-profit social club because it was open to members only.
Others believe that previous court rulings which have identified similar clubs as low-risk gambling venues may have forced the police to concentrate their efforts elsewhere.
What will happen to poker in Sweden now
The opportunities for Swedish players to play live poker appear to be very limited. The Swedish Parliament decided earlier this year to close all physical gambling venues in the country.
No new licences will be issued for traditional gambling venues at this time.
This category includes the four state-owned casinos that previously held licences. This means that venues such as Kruken will not be able to operate properly in the future.
Swedes who play poker may not have as many options as they had before.
This is because most of the live casinos have closed and online poker sites have to comply with strict licensing rules.
People have started to think about police work and the safety of players, as well as the future of live poker, which is under consideration, especially after the raid in a country where gambling rules are becoming increasingly strict.
