Veikkaus, the state-run Finnish gambling operator, has gone live with a selection of online casino games provided by NetEnt, the Swedish gaming solutions supplier announced earlier today.
NetEnt and Veikkaus first announced their content supply agreement last October. After successful technical integration, NetEnt’s games are now available to Finnish players with Veikkaus’ online operation.
The addition of gaming content by the popular Swedish studio was part of the Finnish operator’s massive digital reshuffle. Veikkaus is a state-run operator, the only one authorized to provide both retail and digital gambling services on the territory of Finland.
However, despite the existing regulations and efforts for unlicensed operators to be prevented from servicing local gamblers, it can be said that the Scandinavian nation has a flourishing gray market. According to gambling consultancy H2 Gambling Capital, Finns wagered away more than €286 million on international gaming and betting websites last year. The size of the unregulated market is expected to surpass the €300 million mark in 2019.
Veikkaus was formed in early 2017 through the combination of Finland’s horse racing operator Fintoto, the country’s Slot Machine Association (RAY), and lottery operator Veikkaus into a single entity. The state-run monopoly’s operations have shown shaky performance in recent years due to the massive outside competition.
Indications that Veikkaus would bolster its online offering to create a competitive product first emerged last fall when the operator landed content supply deals with several of gaming’s most popular providers.
Multi-Million Digital Reshuffle
Earlier this year, Veikkaus revealed that it plans to invest between €4 million and €8 million into adding new and diverse content to boost its online gambling business. The monopoly’s Head of Casino Games Jan Hagelberg told local media in April that they would add new games, mostly online slots, to their existing offering in the coming months. As it was announced today, the first roll-out is now a fact.
Aside from NetEnt, Veikkaus has also forged a content deal with Yggdrasil Gaming, another top provider of games and related solutions for the iGaming industry that hails from neighboring Sweden.
Earlier this month, Veikkaus announced a strategic deal with IGT, under which the major supplier would provide online slots, table games, video poker, and instant win titles as well as marketing support to the gambling operator.
Veikkaus has also unveiled plans to reorganize its land-based businesses, specifically its table gaming operations at restaurants across Finland. The state-run entity operates 187 gaming tables across 162 locations. It said back in January that growing competition from the digital space had prompted its decision to reassess its land-based operations and cease operating table games.
The operator further noted that the move could result in up to 400 employees being laid off, with half of these from the Helsinki area.
News emerged last month that Finland’s National Police Board and the Finnish transport and Communications Authority (Traficom) have joined forces to crack down on TV and radio adverts of illegal gambling operations. The move came as the latest of a series of efforts for competent authorities and organizations to reduce the presence of unregulated operators in the country.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the day’s top casino news stories.
