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
Midnite has agreed a partnership with Middlesbrough FC that will see the UK bookmaker become the club’s principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2026/27 campaign, which Middlesbrough describes as its landmark 150th season.
The companies announced the deal alongside a fan activation at Riverside Stadium on Thursday, July 9, branded “This Season’s On Us”. The initiative offered supporters prizes including 2026/27 season tickets, 2026/27 shirts, match tickets, or a £25 club shop voucher, with fans required to answer Middlesbrough trivia and complete a football challenge.
Middlesbrough former players Craig Hignett and David Wheater attended the event, and, according to the company, took bonus attempts on behalf of participants who missed out.
Andrew Mook, Midnite’s Head of Brand Marketing, said:
“Middlesbrough have a storied history and we’re delighted to announce this partnership during such a monumental year with the club celebrating their 150th anniversary.
“It was great to see so many Middlesbrough fans at the “This Season’s On Us” activation, we hope they enjoyed taking part and meeting club legends, with David Wheater hitting top bins on several occasions and allowing fans to win big with season tickets.
“We can’t wait to get to Riverside Stadium in August to kick-off a new season and we’re excited to say that we have plenty of new and captivating campaigns planned.”
Lee Fryett, Middlesbrough FC Chief Commercial Officer, added:
“We’re delighted to welcome Midnite as our new Principal Partner.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with Midnite to develop engaging campaigns, content and unique experiences that bring our fans even closer to the club.
“We’re confident this partnership will provide real value for our supporters while supporting our ambitions both on and off the pitch.”
The post Midnite signs as Middlesbrough FC principal partner for 2026/27 season appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
ThrillTech has been awarded a Gaming-Related Supplier licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), clearing the company to launch in Ontario’s regulated market.
The licence allows ThrillTech to deploy its opt-in side bet jackpots technology with regulated online casino, sports betting and lottery operators across the province.
Benjamin Bradtke, Co-Founder of ThrillTech, said: “Securing our AGCO licence is a major step in our mission to transform how jackpots are delivered at scale across regulated markets. This latest certification is testament to our robust technology and trusted compliance frameworks, allowing us to continue our global growth trajectory. We are thrilled to bring our proven, compliant jackpot technology to Ontario, empowering locally licensed operators to uplift revenue without cannibalising existing spend.”
The company said its “ThrillPots” mechanics sit as an independent, player-funded side bet and do not alter the underlying game’s return-to-player mathematics.
ThrillTech said the Ontario approval enables its existing multinational partners that also operate in the province to launch its side bet jackpots locally, while it also holds talks with potential new operator partners. The company lists its regulated footprint as including the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, Malta, Gibraltar, Brazil and Peru.
The post ThrillTech secures AGCO supplier licence for Ontario launch appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
ThrillTech said it has been awarded a Gaming-Related Supplier licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), clearing the company to offer its side-bet jackpot technology to regulated online casino, sports betting, and lottery operators in Ontario.
Benjamin Bradtke, Co-Founder of ThrillTech, said: “Securing our AGCO licence is a major step in our mission to transform how jackpots are delivered at scale across regulated markets. This latest certification is testament to our robust technology and trusted compliance frameworks, allowing us to continue our global growth trajectory. We are thrilled to bring our proven, compliant jackpot technology to Ontario, empowering locally licensed operators to uplift revenue without cannibalising existing spend.”
The company said its ThrillPots product lets operators add player-funded, opt-in side-bet jackpots on top of existing games, without changing gameplay or the underlying return-to-player (RTP) calculations. ThrillTech positions the mechanic as a way to drive incremental engagement and revenue.
ThrillTech said the Ontario licence enables existing multinational partners that also operate in the province to roll out ThrillTech-powered jackpots locally, and added it is in discussions with potential new operator partners. The company listed other regulated jurisdictions it serves as the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, Malta, Gibraltar, Brazil, and Peru.
The post ThrillTech wins AGCO supplier licence to enter Ontario market appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
-
Compliance Updates5 days agoArizona Department of Gaming Issues Cease-and-Desist Orders to Multiple Operators Linked to Underage Gambling and Illegal Activity
-
Latest News6 days agoPG Soft appoints Hugo Baungartner as General Manager LatAm
-
Latest News6 days ago
ELA Games releases Flames Fruits Frenzy Hold and Win slot
-
Compliance Updates5 days ago
KONAMI GROUP’s Konami Gaming Inc. First to Submit Manufacturer License Application in Japan’s Emerging IR Market
-
Canada6 days ago
Canada’s Safer Gambling Gap: Why Market Success Doesn’t Always Equal Player Safety
-
Latest News6 days ago
Booming Games launches Fish Tales: Double Catch Max Scatter
-
Latest News6 days ago
Tom Horn Gaming ships Royal Ruby FeatureStorm slot worldwide on 14 July 2026
-
Latest News6 days ago
BC.GAME names Guillermo Ochoa brand ambassador for Mexico push
