Latest News

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.

Latest News

N1 Partners at Search iGaming Conference 2026 in Limassol

Published

23 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

n1-partners-at-search-igaming-conference-2026-in-limassol

The N1 Partners team will attend the Search iGaming Conference 2026, held on April 16 in Limassol, Cyprus.

The conference will bring together more than 1,200 professionals in SEO and iGaming, including PPC experts, ASO teams, and affiliate programs representatives for networking and sharing insights.

At the event, the N1 Partners team will not only be an active participant but also a conference bags sponsor for guests. This is the part of a comfortable event experience that helps participants focus on networking and knowledge-sharing.

The conference is a perfect place to discuss profitable deals and SEO traffic, as well as learn more about the N1 SEO Traffic Cup, the first tournament in the N1 Traffic Cups global promo series from N1 Partners. The team will explain how to enter the promotion with highest efficiency at the final stage — there’s still a chance to join the tournament until April 30th.

Participate in the largest SEO tournament in the industry this spring and acquire generous prizes!

In addition to the current promo, N1 Partners affiliate managers will be happy to discuss working with any of the 14+ brands in the portfolio, top Tier-1 GEOs, as well as individual payment terms and payment models.

Why meet the N1 Partners team at the Search iGaming Conference 2026?

In Limassol, the N1 Partners team will show how partners scale traffic and increase revenue.

Key advantages include:

10+ GEO Tier-1
CPA up to €700 | RevShare up to 45% for top partners
Reg2Dep up to 70%
Top personal offers
Insights from analysts

Book a meeting with N1 Partners in Limassol!

Wanna get the most out of the intense Search iGaming Conference? Book a meeting with the N1 Partners team in advance.

Discover the exclusive terms of cooperation and engage with the expert team in person — guaranteed insights await!

N1 Partners team contacts:

Oleksandr Havrylov — Affiliate Manager
Aleksandrs Ohtins — Account Manager
Victoria Sokolenko — Affiliate Manager

Start working with N1 Partners — become number one!

The post N1 Partners at Search iGaming Conference 2026 in Limassol appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

BetConstruct AI

BetConstruct AI Launches Retail Jackpot Engine for Sportsbook – Redefining the Betshop Experience

Published

23 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

betconstruct-ai-launches-retail-jackpot-engine-for-sportsbook-–-redefining-the-betshop-experience

BetConstruct AI has introduced its Retail Jackpot Engine for Sportsbook, a new solution aimed at enhancing player engagement, increasing footfall, and driving turnover across retail betting environments.

The launch comes as operators seek to evolve beyond transactional betting experiences, with the new engine embedding dynamic jackpot functionality directly into the retail sportsbook ecosystem.

Driving Engagement in Retail Betshops
The Retail Jackpot Engine is designed to create a more immersive and engaging atmosphere in betshops, encouraging players to return more often, spend more time in-store, and interact more deeply with sportsbook offerings.

Flexible and Fully Configurable
A key strength of the solution is its flexibility. Operators can configure jackpot pools at multiple levels, including:

A single network-wide jackpot
Individual jackpots per betshop
Custom clusters based on location or player segments

Trigger mechanisms are equally adaptable, with options for amount-based triggers (activated when jackpots reach a set value) or time-based triggers (released after a defined period). This allows operators to tailor jackpot dynamics to their specific commercial strategies.

Omnichannel Visibility for Maximum Impact
To maximise visibility, real-time jackpot values are displayed across all in-shop touchpoints, including screens, cashier terminals, and self-service kiosks. Additionally, jackpot amounts are printed directly on betting tickets, extending engagement beyond the shop environment.

A Long-Term Retail Growth Tool
Rather than serving as a short-term promotion, the Retail Jackpot Engine is positioned as a strategic solution for sustained retail growth. By increasing repeat visits, session duration, and betting activity, it aims to strengthen both operator revenues and long-term player engagement.

The post BetConstruct AI Launches Retail Jackpot Engine for Sportsbook – Redefining the Betshop Experience appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continent 8 Technologies

Continent 8 appoints Cris Kuehl as Chief Data, Information & AI Officer

Published

23 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

continent-8-appoints-cris-kuehl-as-chief-data,-information-&-ai-officer

Continent 8 Technologies, a leading provider of managed IT solutions for the global iGaming and online sports betting industry, has appointed Cris Kuehl as its Chief Data, Information & AI Officer.

Cris brings over 20 years of expertise in AI, analytics, and data strategy, with senior roles including VP of Artificial Intelligence & Data Science at Akkodis and Global Head, CX Analytics & AI at Foundever. His career focuses on helping regulated organisations adopt secure, scalable, and practical AI capabilities.

At Continent 8, Cris will oversee the company’s global data, AI, and information strategy, driving innovation in analytics, automation, cybersecurity, and customer-centric intelligence. He will also shape AI-enabled product development, champion responsible AI practices, and strengthen data governance for the iGaming, tribal, and enterprise sectors.

Michael Tobin, CEO and Founder of Continent 8, said:
“Cris’ expertise across data, AI, and regulated environments is a perfect fit for our organisation. His leadership will help us provide secure, high-performance solutions that deliver measurable value to customers.”

Cris Kuehl added:
“I’m thrilled to join Continent 8 at such a pivotal moment. AI is transforming how organisations operate, collaborate, and protect their data. Continent 8 is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation in the iGaming and online sports betting sector, and I’m excited to drive the next chapter of innovation.”

The post Continent 8 appoints Cris Kuehl as Chief Data, Information & AI Officer appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.