ATG accuses Veikkaus of anti-competitive practices in Finland
The Swedish operator has stated that Veikkaus is abusing its position ahead of Finland’s imminent de-monopolisation.
Key points:
– ATG Has accused Veikkaus of anti-competitive actions ahead of Finland’s market de-monopolisation
– The accusations pertain to the transfer of players to a new entity and the signing of long-term deals with pre-existing partners
Swedish operator ATG has accused Veikkaus of trying to manipulate a favourable market position ahead of the de-monopolisation of the Finnish gambling market in 2027.
Contextually, Finland’s market currently operates under a legal monopoly model, a set-up which is scheduled to be scrapped on 1 January 2027, as per the current schedule. This shift will enable external operators to enter the marketplace, with other Scandanavian institutions naturally making up a strong percentile of the interested prospective market participants.
Now, ATG has accused Veikkaus – which presently operates and the sole licensed gambling business in Finland – of anti-competitive practices which seek inhibit the fairness of the new-look market upon its opening 18 months from now.
More specifically, ATG has stated that Veikkaus has ended the pair’s 15-year horseracing partnership, preventing Swedish players from accessing Finnish horseracing, whilst also restricting Swedish horseracing content for those in Finland.
Further, ATG has stated that Veikkaus has entered long-term partnerships with several TV production entities and signed exclusive long-term agreements with Finnish sports leagues, despite the soon-to-be-imposed changes to the market structure. Crucially, ATG also believes Veikkaus is planning to transfer around one million customers to a new licence operator from its current monopoly entity to maintain an advantage in the new market.
Good to know: Veikkaus allegedly terminated its ATG partnership contract because the latter rejected a long-term agreement until 2030, due to the Finnish gambling reform
Following a recent financial penalty of €2.9m ($3.34m) for advertising breaches in November, Veikkaus announced the appointment of a new General Counsel, Jyri Lassi, ahead of the Finnish gambling market transition earlier this month.
Elsewhere, ATG also released a report during Q1 which highlighted the continuously thriving nature of unlicensed wagering in the Swedish market.
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