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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.

Gamification

GoldenRace launches V5 mobile solution with unified app and WebGL branding

Published

10 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Wladimir P.

goldenrace-launches-v5-mobile-solution-with-unified-app-and-webgl-branding

GoldenRace has launched its next-generation V5 mobile solution, the supplier announced on 1 July 2026 in Malta. The company positions the release as a mobile delivery upgrade for its virtual sports and betting content, aimed at maintaining performance under high player traffic.

According to GoldenRace, V5 consolidates its previous architecture into a single application and “drastically reduces load sizes by 80–90%.” The company also said the platform is built “completely from the ground up” with a unified UI/UX designed to remain responsive across different network conditions.

On product features, GoldenRace said V5 introduces “advanced WebGL capabilities” to support high-fidelity graphics and operator-controlled branding. It also adds native gamification tools across games, including custom Tournaments, Leaderboards and Free Bets.

The company also outlined three mobile upgrades intended to reduce friction in the betting flow: a Lobby with modular layouts and a one-click toggle between scheduled and instant views; a next-generation Betslip with richer visual components and “smart organisation”; and dynamic Leaderboards with configurable funding and custom point logic.

GoldenRace said operators can switch to V5 by “changing a single line of code,” and added that a demo is available for operators evaluating the new mobile solution.

The post GoldenRace launches V5 mobile solution with unified app and WebGL branding appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

certification

PopOK Gaming secures certification for Portugal iGaming market

Published

10 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Wladimir P.

popok-gaming-secures-certification-for-portugal-igaming-market

PopOK Gaming has obtained certification for the Portuguese iGaming market, adding Portugal to its list of regulated jurisdictions where it can offer compliant gaming content to licensed operators.

The company said the certification confirms it meets local regulatory and technical requirements and supports its strategy to expand in regulated markets.

PopOK Gaming did not disclose which regulator or test lab issued the certification, which products are covered, or the date the approval was granted.

Portugal continues to operate a ring-fenced regulated online gambling framework, with market access dependent on product approvals and operator licensing. For suppliers, local certification is typically a prerequisite to distribute content to licensed brands.

The post PopOK Gaming secures certification for Portugal iGaming market appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

API

St8 adds game round replays to its single API platform

Published

10 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Wladimir P.

st8-adds-game-round-replays-to-its-single-api-platform

Replay tool builds on St8’s graphical game round details and launches first with nine casino game studios.

St8 has launched game round replays, adding visual playback of completed casino game rounds to its existing single API platform. The company said the feature is designed to help operators verify outcomes faster and resolve player queries more efficiently.

The new capability builds on St8’s graphical game round details, which it said is already used by operators. With replays, support and operations teams can access a round’s visual playback to investigate gameplay disputes and respond to players with more transparency.

St8 also positioned the feature as a player engagement tool, with operators able to surface notable moments such as big wins and bonus rounds for promotional use.

Game round replays will initially support titles from AvatarUX, BGaming, Endorphina, Hacksaw, Peter & Sons, Pragmatic Play, Scatter Kings, Shady Lady, and Tequity Originals, with more providers to be added. St8 said the feature is delivered through its existing single API integration and requires no additional development work, and is intended to scale across multiple brands and regulated markets.

David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said: “Operators are under increasing pressure to deliver exceptional customer support while keeping operational costs under control. Our graphical game round details have become a trusted and widely used tool for operators, giving support teams quick access to the information they need to resolve player queries efficiently. Game round replays complement this capability by providing a visual playback of each round, helping teams resolve cases even faster and with complete confidence.

“Beyond operational efficiency, the feature also opens up new opportunities for engagement. Operators can showcase exciting gameplay moments, celebrate big wins and create richer player experiences – all through the same integration. Because game round replays are delivered through our existing single API, partners can access this functionality immediately while continuing to benefit from the simplicity and scalability that sit at the heart of the St8 platform.”

The post St8 adds game round replays to its single API platform appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.