Veikkaus bolsters content offering with NetEnt
Finnish gambling monopoly Veikkaus has expanded its range of igaming content through a new partnership with Swedish casino games developer NetEnt.
Veikkaus customers can access NetEnt games from today (June 19), including titles such as Starburst, Gonzo’s Guest, Twin Spin and Viking.
The monopoly will also offer NetEnt’s Divine Fortune, featuring a jackpot that can reach up to €1m (£890,718/$1.12m).
Jan Hagelberg, head of the casino games business group at Veikkaus, said: “NetEnt's games are already familiar to many classics from other online casinos. In addition, NetEnt is constantly publishing new high quality and entertaining games
“Our customers have been asking for NetEnt games for a long time and it’s great that we can now offer them.”
Veikkaus has also signed similar content deals with Yggdasil and IGT this year as it seeks to make itself more appealing to consumers as it looks to fend off competition from offshore operators.
It comes against a backdrop of increasing support for a more liberal regulatory framework. In April, a survey found that a majority of Finnish citizens would be in favour of abolishing the country’s gambling monopoly setup and replacing it with a licensing regime, which would in turn open up the market to more operators.
Conducted by Finnish polling specialist Bilendi on behalf of igaming affiliate Kasino Curt, the survey said 31% of the 1,000 respondents would back plans to abolish the monopoly, while 27% would be against the move. There was also a majority that believed Veikkaus would lose its monopoly status within 10 years, with 31% saying this would happen, and 24% believing it would not.
However, despite these concerns, Veikkaus continues to perform well financially, having last month reported marginal year-on-year increases in both gaming revenue and profit for the first quarter.
Gross gaming revenue in the three months to March 31, 2018, totalled €438.8m, up 0.4% on €437.0m in the corresponding period last year, while profit was up 2.2% to €261.5m.
Chief executive Olli Sarekoski addressed the survey's findings, noting that Veikkaus' monpoly status would ensure it can offer gambling in a framework that prioritises customer safety, while also ensuring revenue can be used to support good causes in Finland.