No horsing around: Svenska Spel ordered to change equine games name

Shirley Pulis Xerxen January 29, 2024

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No horsing around: Svenska Spel ordered to change equine games name

In response to a prolonged trademark dispute with ATG over its trotting venture’s name, Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, Sweden’s state-owned gaming operator, has officially renamed its horse games to Svenska Spel H?star. The recent judgment from the Patent and Market Appeal Court, announced on January 25, compelled the company to make this change.

Court ruling and trademark clash

ATG, with its registered name Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp since 1973, found itself in a trademark tussle with Svenska Spel, which registered a figurative mark containing the words ‘Trav & Galopp’ with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office in 2019. The court’s decision has led Svenska Spel to implement the name change, ensuring compliance with the legal resolution.

CEO responds to the verdict

Svenska Spel Sport & Casino CEO, Fredrik Wastenson, expressed disappointment with the court’s ruling, questioning the elevated protection granted to descriptive words for a business. Despite the setback, Wastenson committed to ensuring a seamless transition, emphasizing that the fantastic horse gaming offerings would remain available under the new name, Svenska Spel H?star.

Leadership shift at Svenska Spel

In tandem with the renaming, Svenska Spel is undergoing a strategic leadership transition. Anna Johnson is set to take on the role of president and chief executive officer, succeeding Patrik Hofbauer. Hofbauer’s departure, scheduled for the end of January to join Telia, will see Erik Strand, Svenska Spel’s chairman, serve as interim CEO until Anna Johnson officially assumes her responsibilities by June 2024.

Svenska Spel contemplates venue closures

While the rebranding of horse games is a relatively minor challenge for Svenska Spel, the company faces additional hurdles in its land-based sector. Recent announcements reveal plans to potentially close two venues, Casino Cosmopol in Gothenburg and Malm?, as part of a strategy to “limit losses.”

Svenska Spel attributes these challenges to the industry’s significant shift toward online gambling in 2019, following its reregulation, further intensified by the pandemic. The state-owned operator acknowledges the decreasing share of the land-based sector in the gaming vertical and has implemented measures to boost revenues, striving for a more balanced market.

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