Veikkaus, Finland’s nationwide betting company, has formally added all of its video games to the listing of merchandise that require gamers to endure obligatory identification. First introduced in November 2023 and applied on January 1st, 2024, the change goals to make playing safer for Finnish residents, and to make sure that the corporate is in compliance with the nation’s legal guidelines. It additionally marks step one towards dismantling Veikkaus’ monopoly in Finland. Though Veikkaus at present operates as the only entity that’s licensed to supply playing in Finland, Finnish officers are aiming to introduce and implement a licensing mannequin by January 2026. All future companies might want to comply with in Veikkaus’ footsteps and cling to the identical identification necessities.
Duty Director of Veikkaus Susanna Saikkonen stated that Veikkaus is the primary playing firm on the globe to formally introduce identification necessities to the whole thing of its product library, which incorporates each digital and bodily video games.
The brand new system will help Veikkaus in changing into higher at figuring out drawback playing, and it’ll make it simpler for the corporate to assist these in want as quickly as doable. It is going to additionally guarantee truthful play, assure that every participant is sufficiently old to buy the playing merchandise they’ve determined to purchase, and make playing a safer passion.
Saikkonen added that gamblers will now have the chance to maintain observe of their gaming exercise. Furthermore, loss limits are one other vital benefit of the brand new system.
Many Veikkaus Prospects are Already Used to the New System
By way of how gamers can full the identification necessities, the method is comparatively easy. Primarily, every particular person might want to current a sound identification doc or card every time they want to buy a scratch card. One might decide to establish themselves by way of bodily or digital playing cards issued by Veikkaus, or go for a extra conventional type of identification. The choices embody a Kela card, a private ID card, or one’s driver’s license.
Veikkaus’ Head of Lottery Video games, Ville Venojärvi, acknowledged that though the brand new system is a big change for Veikkaus’ lottery gamers, those that have loved the corporate’s coupon video games had been already nicely acquainted with identification checks. This is because of the truth that coupon-centered video games in Finland have been topic to obligatory identification necessities for the reason that begin of 2023.
He continued, declaring that lottery tickets that gamers have purchased in 2023 can be exempt from identification till 2024 ends. Regardless of this, nevertheless, he famous that the corporate didn’t discover any proof of an irregular upturn in ticket purchases throughout 2023’s Christmas promotions, which might have urged that gamers had been making an attempt to stockpile tickets earlier than January rolled round. In keeping with Venojärvi, this demonstrates that Veikkaus gamers will not be new to the idea of identification.
