Latest News
Finnish Minister Says State Should Treat Gambling Monopoly Revenues like Alcohol Profits
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.
Powered by WPeMatico
Betano has been named as an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026
for Europe and South America thanks to a new partnership between FIFA and Kaizen Gaming’s lead brand. The international showpiece tournament taking place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Thursday, 11 June until Sunday, 19 July is set to be the biggest FIFA World Cup in history, as for the first time ever it will feature 48 teams contending for the coveted crown.
This is the third time that Betano and FIFA have joined forces. Four years ago, Betano became the first sports betting operator to ever partner with FIFA when it joined as an Official Regional Supporter of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 for Europe. More recently, Betano was announced as an Official Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
“We are delighted to welcome Betano among the Tournament Supporters of the FIFA World Cup 2026,” said FIFA’s Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai.
“Since we first partnered with Betano four years ago, we have seen a genuine commitment to sporting integrity, bringing fans closer to our game and finding new, engaging ways to entertain them. We share these objectives and are glad to have this powerhouse by our side as we look forward to uniting the world through football once again in North America and beyond,” he stated.
“Partnering with FIFA for the third time is a proud milestone for everyone at Kaizen Gaming and a clear reflection of our global evolution,” added George Daskalakis, co-founder and CEO of Kaizen Gaming.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is the ultimate intersection of sport and entertainment, reaching billions of people. For us, it is the perfect stage to solidify Betano as the most trusted brand globally for responsible online sports betting. Our focus now is to deliver a thrilling, innovative and secure experience for fans throughout the tournament.”
Owned by Kaizen Gaming, which was recognised in both 2024 and 2025 as Operator of the Year at the EGR Operator Awards and Operator of the Year – Large at the SBC Awards, Betano will provide fans with a unique and exclusive opportunity to experience the excitement of the FIFA World Cup and to engage responsibly with the tournament’s matches. Fans will benefit from a range of responsible gaming tools, enabling them to set financial limits, manage their time and access specialised customer support 24/7. Betano is also organising a number of physical and digital fan engagement activations in Europe and South America to celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The post Betano unveiled as Tournament Supporter of FIFA World Cup 2026™ for Europe and South America appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Tequity, the pioneering iGaming software provider, has entered into a strategic partnership with new slot studio DELULU to provide the infrastructure for its upcoming market debut through its licensed modular Remote Gaming Server (RGS) platform.
The agreement allows DELULU to leverage Tequity’s advanced RGS to deploy titles designed to blend high-end cinematic quality with measurable performance. By utilising Tequity’s streamlined infrastructure, DELULU maintains creative control and rapid development speeds as it prepares to bring its titles to global operators.
DELULU is currently finalising development on its initial portfolio, working closely with aggregators to prepare for a full market release. Every title will feature the studio’s signature bold art direction and character-driven narratives, optimised for the modern player’s appetite for engagement and streamability.
The partnership comes during a period of rapid scaling for Tequity, which now supports 30 RGS clients and over 120 integrations across regulated markets.
The agreement, which follows on from a recent flurry of partnerships with game providers and operators, further cements Tequity’s reputation as the technical partner of choice for studios looking to bypass the friction of traditional game delivery.
Tanja Bergman, Head of Growth – RGS at Tequity, said: “DELULU is a studio that refuses to compromise. Their focus on visuals that catch the eye and math that feels right aligns perfectly with our philosophy of providing technology that does all of the heavy lifting.
“We are excited to provide the stable, high-performance environment they need to turn their creative vision into a market-leading reality.”
Alina Avekse Mathiasen, CPO at DELULU, said: “When building a studio, the crucial difference lies in how complete the platform is. With Tequity, everything from the promo toolkit to the frontend SDK works as one system and this is highly beneficical.
“It allows us to ensure our creative decisions reach the player exactly as intended. Tequity gives us the technical freedom to focus entirely on the game, ensuring our titles hit the market fast, stable, and ready to perform.”
The post Tequity signs RGS deal with DELULU to power cinematic slot portfolio appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Gaming Corps – a publicly-listed game development company based in Sweden, has extended its partnership with bet365, taking its games live with the operator in Brazil as part of its continued expansion across regulated markets.
The launch builds on Gaming Corps’ existing relationship with bet365 and signals another important step in the studio’s wider Latin American growth strategy. The rollout has been delivered through Gaming Corps’ distribution partnership with Light & Wonder, supporting efficient market access through one of the industry’s most established content networks.
bet365 players in Brazil will gain access to Gaming Corps’ full line up, including Penalty Champion, the instant win game that puts players in a sudden-death penalty shootout where each successful strike increases the potential return. The launch also includes popular franchise titles such as 3 Pigs of Olympus and 3 Pigs of the Caribbean, while Brazilian players can also look forward to Gaming Corps’ three-game football suite arriving in time for the World Cup.
With a portfolio that stretches beyond standard slot content, Gaming Corps has focused on building games with more variety in both format and play style. Alongside proprietary concepts such as Smash4Cash, A-MAZE-CADES and X-MY-WAY, the studio also develops Mine, Table, Multiplier and Plinko games, helping operators introduce a wider mix of experiences for different types of players.
Juha Kauppinen, CEO at Gaming Corps, said: “Extending our partnership with bet365 into Brazil is an exciting development for Gaming Corps and an important next step in how we grow with major operators across regulated markets. bet365 is one of the most recognised names in online gaming and expanding our reach with them into a market like Brazil underlines both the strength of the relationship and the wider appeal of our portfolio.”
A bet365 spokesperson, added: “Gaming Corps has established a clear identity within the market through a mix of creative game concepts and distinctive mechanics. We are delighted to expand our partnership with the studio into Brazil and look forward to making this content available to our players in the market.”
The post Gaming Corps extends bet365 partnership into Brazil appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
-
Apple6 days agoIBJR hails App Store approval as a milestone in the fight against illegal betting in Brazil
-
Brazil6 days agoEsportes da Sorte campaign celebrates fans’ resilience in support of Brazil
-
Africa6 days ago
Broadway Platform Partners with Ghanaian Operator Afrinova
-
apuestas deportivas6 days ago
¿Por qué Pix es central en la lucha contra el mercado ilegal de apuestas?
-
affiliate marketing6 days ago
CasinoCanada partners with Slota Casino for content and traffic growth
-
Asia6 days ago
BetConstruct AI Showcases AI-Powered Solutions at G2E Asia 2026
-
Black Label6 days ago
Pragmatic Play signs Latam Agreement with Black Label
-
Almir Ribeiro7 days ago
BetMGM Brazil hires veteran journalist to lead government relations
