Playtech has won the Finnish tender for live casino games following a Public Procurement Process and is now partnered with Veikkaus, Finland’s state-owned monopoly operator. The initial partnership is set to last six years, with potential for expansion in the future.
The two bodies already have an existing partnership, with Playtech providing online casino, retail VLT machines, online poker and a casino management system to the Finnish monopoly operator. Playtech’s live casino offerings are currently available in several locations across the globe, with examples including Pennsylvania, USA and Ontario, Canada.
Veikkaus will offer Playtech’s live casino games to bettors in Finland, with the operator set to create a Veikkaus-branded studio from which live casino content can be created. The games will be played in Finnish and will initially consist of blackjack and roulette.
Veikkaus VP, iCasino Riikka Seppänen said: "We are delighted to collaborate with Playtech as our partner for Live casino games, following a comprehensive public procurement process. This strategic framework agreement marks an important milestone for Veikkaus as we expand our product portfolio to include live casino games for the first time. We have been and continue to work diligently alongside Finnish authorities and regulators to ensure a robust regulatory framework is in place.”
Finland currently operates under a monopoly system. However, plans are underway to shift away from this system in favour of a licensing system, which has been praised by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) as a “welcome step towards meaningful and overdue gambling reform in Finland,” as stated by EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer.
In our March/April issue of Gambling Insider, we spoke with individuals operating in the Finnish gaming market to learn more about the changing tides and what operators seeking a Finnish licence can expect.
