The Finnish state-owned gaming operator launched negotiations regarding the potential furloughs at the beginning of this month.

Commenting on the measures, Jari Heino, director of channels and sales, said the layoffs would target people whose work has been “temporarily reduced and for whom we cannot reasonably arrange other suitable work or training that meets the needs of the employer.”

The operator said the employees would be furloughed for a maximum of 90 days, with the layoffs occurring in stages. This will be according to the workloads of each unit, team and individual.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the closure of the majority of Veikkaus’ slot machines and gaming machines across Finland. The aim of negotiations was to reduce costs through temporary layoffs, rather than permanent redundancies.

“I wish the Veikkaus staff strength and a peaceful Christmas time in this uncertain situation,” commented Heino.

“Our common goal is to win Korona in Finland and move towards a better stage in society.”

Earlier this week, Veikkaus announced it will launch mandatory slot authentication for its slot machines from January next year.  From next month, it will be compulsory for any player to authenticate themselves before they play any of the operator’s slot machines.