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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.

Africa

Booming Games signs content deal with World Sports Betting in South Africa

Published

39 minutes ago

June 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

booming-games-signs-content-deal-with-world-sports-betting-in-south-africa

WSB adds Booming titles including Tasty Bonanza, Cash Pig and the Buffalo series to its casino lobby.

Booming Games has signed a partnership with World Sports Betting (WSB) to roll out a selection of its casino titles on WSB’s platform in South Africa.

Under the agreement, WSB players will gain access to Booming Games content including Tasty Bonanza, Cash Pig and the Buffalo series. Booming Games positioned the deal as part of its wider expansion strategy across Africa.

Ryno Du Plessis, Group Chief Operating Officer at World Sports Betting, said: “We believe that Booming’s portfolio will offer something new and unique to our clients. Titles like Tasty Bonanza, Cash Pig and the popular Buffalo series are sure to be very popular with our player base.”

Solomon Godwin, Head of Africa at Booming Games, added: “We are thrilled to partner with World Sports Betting, a company with an outstanding reputation for delivering premium entertainment to players across the South African market. This collaboration represents an exciting step forward in expanding Booming Games’ reach and ensuring our titles are accessible to even more players in South Africa. We look forward to building a successful long-term relationship and delivering high-quality entertainment to their customers.”

The post Booming Games signs content deal with World Sports Betting in South Africa appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Latest News

Exclusive Relax Gaming slot lands at Zingo Bingo

Published

39 minutes ago

June 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

exclusive-relax-gaming-slot-lands-at-zingo-bingo

Zingo Bingo has exclusively launched Midnight Marauder ClusterBreaker, the latest action-packed slot from leading supplier Relax Gaming.

The neon-fuelled heist adventure is now available to Zingo Bingo players who will embark on a precision operation to plot the ultimate raid to try and crack the vault to unlock those wins.

Set across a 4×4 cluster-pay grid, Midnight Marauder ClusterBreaker combines fast-paced gameplay with expanding cluster mechanics and escalating rewards inspired by high-stakes vault robberies and underground crime capers.

The excitement builds throughout gameplay thanks to the slot’s Progressive Generation Multiplier feature. With every consecutive generation of winning clusters, the multiplier doubles, creating the potential for massive payouts as cascades continue across the reels.

Players can also trigger Smash ‘N’ Grab Free Spins, with opportunities to increase spins and multipliers throughout the bonus feature, adding even more excitement and win potential during gameplay.

New online UK bingo brand Zingo Bingo offers a variety of online bingo rooms as well as access to thousands of slot titles and this latest launch further strengthens its growing collection of popular Relax Gaming releases including Money Train 4, Temple Tumble Megaways and Iron Bank 2.

Zingo Bingo Head of Brand Jack Watson said: “At Zingo Bingo, we’re committed to providing the highest standard of online experience for players with a growing portfolio of more than 8,000 games, including new releases and exclusive launches. We’re delighted to be bringing Midnight Marauder ClusterBreaker to our players as an exclusive launch and it’s exactly the kind of fresh, entertaining release our players love to see.

“Relax Gaming has done a fantastic job combining innovative mechanics with fast-paced gameplay and exciting bonus features, while the ClusterBreaker mechanic adds something genuinely different to the experience. We’re delighted to be bringing the game to Zingo Bingo players.”

The post Exclusive Relax Gaming slot lands at Zingo Bingo appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alex Scott Chief Product Officer at Tequity

Tequity appoints Alex Scott as Chief Product Officer

Published

39 minutes ago

June 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

tequity-appoints-alex-scott-as-chief-product-officer

Former Microgaming poker MD and ex-WPT Global president joins as supplier pushes regulated-market expansion and new verticals.

Tequity has appointed Alex Scott as Chief Product Officer, adding a long-time iGaming executive to lead product vision and oversee the product lifecycle from conception to market launch.

Scott has more than 20 years of experience in the sector. He previously served as Managing Director of Poker at Microgaming and later led WPT Global as President.

The hire comes as Tequity expands its product structure, including the recent launch of Tequity Exclusives, a vertical for custom-built games that sits alongside its RGS, Originals and Publishing divisions. The company also said it has completed BMM Testlabs certification for its RNG and the first batch of Tequity Originals titles as it targets regulated markets.

Alex Scott, Chief Product Officer at Tequity, said: “Tequity is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in iGaming by harnessing the power of technology to streamline and elevate game development.

“It is an incredibly exciting time to join the team. I look forward to leading the product vision across our expanding divisions to deliver next-generation casino content to operators worldwide.”

Krzysztof Opałka, CEO at Tequity, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Alex to the team as we continue to move the business forward at pace. His two decades of industry leadership and pioneering, hands-on experience with AI-driven casino games make him the perfect fit to lead our product strategy.

“With our rapid recent progress across all of our divisions, his expertise will be invaluable in maximising the impact of our portfolio.” Scott will attend iGB Live in London next month as part of Tequity’s team.

The post Tequity appoints Alex Scott as Chief Product Officer appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.