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Finnish Minister Says State Should Treat Gambling Monopoly Revenues like Alcohol Profits

Published

5 years ago

August 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Antti Kurvinen, Finland’s minister of science and culture, has proposed that revenues from the state-owned gambling monopoly, Veikkaus, be transferred to the state budget.

On Saturday Kurvinen said that the betting agency’s income is declining, and without a change so will the income of charities and other groups that benefit from its profits. Veikkaus revenues are distributed to organisations in the fields of culture, sports, science, and youth work as well as social welfare and health.

Kurvinen proposed making the change from the beginning of 2024.

“My view is that from the beginning of 2024, Veikkaus’ income should be transferred to the state budget in the same way as, for example, Alko transfers its own dividends and income to the state budget, from which they are used for good purposes,” Kurvinen said.

Kurvinen said that he has reached the same position on the matter as a working group chaired by former Bank of Finland Governor Erkki Liikanen, which last spring proposed a comprehensive reform to divert gambling revenues to general government revenue and transfer current beneficiaries to the budget framework procedure.

The need for reform is due to Veikkaus’ declining income. This is due to a drop in slot machine revenues because of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as measures taken to tackle gambling addiction.

“Without a clear change and reform, we will find ourselves in a situation where the income of Veikkaus’ beneficiaries is constantly falling. This is about the income of Finnish science, culture, youth organisations and especially sports and exercise,” Kurvinen said.

According to Kurvinen, the distribution of Veikkaus revenues through the budget would bring predictability to cash flows, which is essential for beneficiaries.

“Recent years have shown that we are in a strange situation here: the success of a Finnish gaming company determines what kind of resources there are, for example, for top Finnish sports and youth sports or for high-level Finnish research. This creates a strange, uncertain situation,” Kurvinen said.

The problem with the new way of distributing Veikkaus, revenues has been that it would make the funding of beneficiaries dependent on political decision-making.

Kurvinen does not deny that the change would increase the role of political decision-making, but said he considers that a lesser evil than the uncertainty and funding cuts that lie ahead if no reforms are made.

“In the long run, however, it would be clearer and less problematic to make political value decisions than for the success of Veikkaus’ business to be the determining factor in how many opportunities there are for young researchers in Finland or how much art is funded in Finland,” Kurvinen said.

AGLC

High 5 Games wins AGLC supplier approval ahead of Alberta iGaming launch

Published

58 minutes ago

July 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

high-5-games-wins-aglc-supplier-approval-ahead-of-alberta-igaming-launch

The supplier can now distribute its online casino titles beyond Play Alberta to all licensed operators in the province.

High 5 Games has secured supplier approval from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), allowing the studio to supply its online casino content to all licensed operators in Alberta’s newly opened commercial iGaming market.

The company has been live in the province since 2024 via Play Alberta, the government-operated platform, where it said titles including DaVinci DeluxeWays, Billionaire’s Bank and Green Machine have become player favourites. With the commercial market now open, High 5 Games said the same portfolio can be offered across operators entering Alberta.

Alberta’s commercial iGaming market is set to open on July 13, 2026, becoming Canada’s second province after Ontario to allow private-sector operators. The market is overseen by AGLC and the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) and launched with nearly 50 registered operator brands, according to the company.

“Alberta players already know and love our games through Play Alberta, that is a head start no newcomer to this market can claim. With the open market live, every operator in the province can now offer their players the award winning High 5 titles they have been playing for years, from day one.” says Tony Singer, CEO at High 5 Games.

High 5 Games said the AGLC approval expands its regulated North American footprint, which it listed as including New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The company said it has developed more than 300 games over three decades.

The post High 5 Games wins AGLC supplier approval ahead of Alberta iGaming launch appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Desiree Dickerson CEO and co-founder of THNDR

Jackpot.com adds THNDR PvP skill games across six US states

Published

58 minutes ago

July 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

jackpot.com-adds-thndr-pvp-skill-games-across-six-us-states

Jackpot.com has launched real-money player-vs-player (PvP) skill games and tournaments through a new partnership with B2B skill games platform THNDR. The games are now live in Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio via the Jackpot.com app on iOS and Android.

Under the rollout, Jackpot.com users can play head-to-head skill titles including Solitaire and Blocks, as well as tournament formats intended to drive repeat engagement alongside draw games and scratch tickets.

“Jackpot.com is the first big operators in real-money gaming to put skill games in front of its players, and launches at this scale are how skill gaming goes mainstream,” said Desiree Dickerson, CEO and co-founder of THNDR. Dickerson added that THNDR’s network has seen “more than 160 million games played and verified” and cited a “99.99% match-fill rate.”

THNDR said its cross-operator liquidity matches players against “a real opponent” and uses “patent-pending game verification and a 50/50 target win rate” for match integrity. The company also positioned the offering as compliance-ready for regulated operators, noting that its CEO chairs the Online Skill Games (OSG) Committee within the International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA).

“Jackpot.com has always believed the future of gaming is a single platform where every type of player finds their game. The launch of skill games and tournaments is the next step in that vision: expanding how players engage, giving them more reasons to return, and more ways to win,” said Dharin Nanavati, Chief Growth Officer at Jackpot.com.

The post Jackpot.com adds THNDR PvP skill games across six US states appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

GGPoker

GGPoker adds Action Voice packs featuring Doyle Brunson and other pros

Published

12 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

ggpoker-adds-action-voice-packs-featuring-doyle-brunson-and-other-pros

New software option replaces standard table announcements across cash games, tournaments and formats including All-In or Fold and Spin & Gold.

GGPoker on July 9, 2026 announced Action Voice, a new software feature that lets players replace standard table announcements with voice packs recorded by poker personalities, including Doyle Brunson.

The initial lineup named by the operator includes ten-time WSOP bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and Kevin Martin, with additional voices “to be confirmed in the near future.”

Action Voice is available now across GGPoker’s product offering, including cash games, tournaments and formats such as All-In or Fold and Spin & Gold. Players can select voice packs in the desktop client via ‘My Page’ and then ‘My Action Voice’.

“Doyle Brunson may not be at the tables in the way that he used to, but his voice still can be,” said Sarne Lightman, Managing Director of GGPoker. “Action Voice is our way of keeping the legends who built this game part of the everyday experience – right alongside the players carrying it forward today, like Daniel and Michael. It’s a unique and fun new element to our software, and we can’t wait to reveal the rest of the lineup soon.”

GGPoker said more Action Voice packs will be announced in the coming weeks as it rolls out the full roster.

The post GGPoker adds Action Voice packs featuring Doyle Brunson and other pros appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.