Veikkaus seeks to reduce number of slot machines
The CEO of the Finnish gambling monopoly Veikkaus said that the company is likely to reduce the number of slot machines.
Finland.- Olli Sarekoski, chief executive of state-owned gambling monopoly Veikkaus, has revealed that the company is likely to reduce the number of slot machines in Finland. The reduction is a necessary move after a new legislative amendment.
The amendment forces slot route operators to introduce identification verification technology to their slot machines by 2022. This is part of an attempt to limit the adverse effects of gambling, Helsinki Times reported. “Gambling will decrease and there won’t be the same need for slot machines,” Sarekoski said.
The CEO added that problems in advertising have roots in ambiguous legislation and a shift in public attitude towards gambling over the past five years. He believes that criticising gambling is a “global megatrend.”
Moreover, he said that in order to keep a monopoly-based system, it is necessary to ban gambling and money transfers from foreign sites in Finland.
In an interview on Aamu-tv, executive vice president Velipekka Nummokoski said: “Giving up distributed placement [of slot machines] is a political issue. The company’s mandate alone is not enough to make such a decision.”.
Veikkaus will suspend advertising
Last week, the company suspended purchased advertising after it received public pushback due to the message in the material. The company will remove the ads from circulation until the end of September, the CEO confirmed.
The decision to suspend purchased advertising affects all products except the flagship local lottery Lotto. It also doesn’t affect regional Eurojackpot and the Nordic-Baltic lottery Vikinglotto. Brand and corporate responsibility marketing aren’t affected by this decision, local outlet Yle reported.
The ads criticised by the public aired on commercial radio channels. They featured people asking their therapists if it was okay to want to experience the thrill of betting. The therapist then recommended to satisfy their desires and visit the Veikkaus website.
