Finlandia rebrands as Winlandia ahead of European expansion
The group has also announced that it will be among the first to apply for a gambling licence in Finland ahead of government plans to end Veikkaus’ monopoly by 2026. It has been operational in the Finnish market through its Malta Gaming Authority licence since 2014.
Winlandia said the rebrand will help it expand its presence in core regulated markets across Europe, including the UK, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. In the longer term it is also to seek entry in Canada and New Zealand.
The group added in a statement: “Winlandia plans to stand out from its rivals by tailoring the player experience it offers across games, payments, bonuses and customer service in each market, delivered with a playful Nordic twist and the Finnish Sisu.
“The decision to rebrand from Finlandia Casino came from a desire to expand internationally, but also to keep pace with the decision to dissolve the gambling monopoly in Finland and open the market to other licensed operators over the coming years.”
Winlandia international growth
The business said the decision to enter new markets was in part driven by sign-ups from markets outside of its home nation.
Christoffer Grönlund, head of acquisitions and PR at Winlandia, said: “We are so excited to have rebranded to Winlandia and to take our amazing casino experience to more markets such as the UK, Sweden, Norway and Denmark in the first phase. In the second phase, we will enter Canada and New Zealand.”
In June, the new Finnish government announced it was committed to ending the current monopoly system for gambling in favour of a licensing model, “no later than 2026”. The government said the aim of reform is to prevent the financial and social harm of gambling. A licensing model would improve the country’s channelisation rate to legal offerings.
Earlier this week, state-owned Veikkaus reiterated its support for the introduction of a licensing model for gambling, as the business reported its H1 results.
“The most important thing is that more gambling can be channeled into licensed offerings than before and we think that the licence system best supports this goal and the development of more responsible gambling,” said Veikkaus CEO, Olli Sarekoski, introducing the H1 report.