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

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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.

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PokerStars Big Game on Tour returns May 17 with Koon, Deeb and Berkey

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Season 3 runs weekly on PokerStars’ YouTube channel through June 14 and includes a $50,000 staked ‘Loose Cannon’ amateur spot.

PokerStars will launch a new run of PokerStars Big Game on Tour episodes on May 17, with Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb and Matt Berkey set to headline the line-up. The series will air on the PokerStars YouTube channel, with weekly episodes through June 14.

The cast for the new instalment also includes MMA fighter Sean O’Malley and high-stakes cash game player Randy ‘3Coin’ Sadler, according to the company. The episodes follow the Big Game format, featuring No Limit Hold’em cash game play.

PokerStars said the season’s ‘Loose Cannon’ will be Canadian operations manager Andy Taylor, who will be staked $50,000 and will keep any profit made at the table. The company described Taylor as running a property maintenance company and, with his wife, a non-for-profit organisation focused on supporting young athletes in Toronto.

A teaser for the new episodes aired during the livestream of the €100,000 High Rollers Invitational at PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo, which featured Koon. PokerStars noted Koon “took home €1,000,000” from the event.

Release schedule: May 17 (Episode 1), May 24 (Episode 2), May 31 (Episode 3), June 7 (Episode 4), and June 14 (Episode 5).

The post PokerStars Big Game on Tour returns May 17 with Koon, Deeb and Berkey appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb, and Matt Berkey Headline New Instalment of PokerStars Big Game on Tour

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Poker’s most thrilling televised cash game, PokerStars Big Game on Tour, will return on May 17 with a brand-new set of episodes featuring a stellar line-up headlined by PokerStars Ambassador and number three in the all-time poker money list Jason Koon, reigning two-time World Series of Poker Player of the Year Shaun Deeb, and American high-stakes poker pro and coach Matt Berkey.

MMA Fighter and poker enthusiast Sean O’Malley, and well-known high stakes cash game player and businessman Randy ‘3Coin’ Sadler complete the line-up, who will take to the felt against the ‘Loose Cannon’ to win big.

As always, each episode will showcase high stakes No Limit Hold’em cash game action in the beloved Big Game format, where one amateur player or ‘Loose Cannon’ is staked $50,000 and gets to keep any profit they make at the table.

Canadian Operations Manager Andy Taylor will shake up the felt as the ‘Loose Cannon’ hoping to beat the pros. Andy runs a property maintenance company as his main job and, alongside his wife, runs a non-for-profit organisation aimed at improving the skillset and mindset of young athletes across Toronto.

The teaser for the new Big Game episodes was aired during the live stream of the €100,000 High Rollers Invitational at PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo, featuring Big Game player Jason Koon. Koon took home €1,000,000 after topping a field of some of the best in the world.

The first Big Game episode will air on PokerStars YouTube channel on May 17, with new episodes airing weekly and culminating on June 14.

  • Sunday, May 17 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 1
  • Sunday, May 24 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 2
  • Sunday, May 31 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 3
  • Sunday, June 7 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 4
  • Sunday, June 14 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 5

The post Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb, and Matt Berkey Headline New Instalment of PokerStars Big Game on Tour appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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IBJR hails App Store approval as a milestone in the fight against illegal betting in Brazil

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The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) considers Apple’s decision to allow the distribution of regulated sports betting and online gaming applications on its Brazilian App Store a key milestone for the consolidation of a transparent and integrity-driven sector.

This measure strengthens regulation by making it easier for users to clearly identify operators that are duly authorized to operate in compliance with national rules.

Following Google’s decision, made less than a year ago, to authorize the distribution of sports betting apps on the Play Store in Brazil, this initiative acts as a powerful cybersecurity filter and helps protect consumers from the risks of the illegal market.

Since only operators licensed by the SPA are allowed to offer services to iOS users, the process of channeling traffic into the regulated environment is further strengthened.

However, for the measure to be fully effective, continuous enforcement is required, as several illegal apps can still be found on major platforms.

Data from Instituto Locomotiva, in partnership with LCA Consultoria, indicate that the illegal environment—much of it controlled by organized crime—moves around R$40 billion per year in Brazil and generates an estimated annual loss of R$10.8 billion in tax revenue.

In this context, actions that help distinguish legal operators from unauthorized ones are essential.

The presence of applications on both the Play Store and Apple Store reinforces the commitment to Responsible Gaming, as they integrate functionalities required by legislation and audited by the platforms.

These include strict age verification to prevent access by minors under 18, clear risk warnings related to gambling, and self-exclusion tools.

The post IBJR hails App Store approval as a milestone in the fight against illegal betting in Brazil appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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