Veikkaus warns of possible redundancies
The state-controlled gambling operator will begin contract negotiations with up to 620 employees.
Finland.- The state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus has announced that it will begin contract negotiations with up to 620 employees. The move follows a drop in gross gaming revenue (GGR) of 21 per cent in H1 and as Finland prepares to open the gambling market to competition from 2027.
Veikkaus has warned that the upcoming negotiations could lead to more redundancies. They will involve between 580 and 620 employees, and could result in up to four terminations and material changes to between 10 and 37 roles.
Executive vice-president of HR Heli Lallukka said: “In practice, we are aiming at an operating model through which we can focus on our core business. The planned measures would enable us to deal with the changes in Veikkaus’ mission and operating environment, as well as with the changes in the overall gambling sector. It may also mean changes to the organisational structure and the operating models.”
The future of Veikkaus amid Finnish gambling reforms
The operator has generally supported plans to open the Finnish gambling market to private operators, which will also see the company’s monopoly on lottery and land-based slots and its B2B subsidiary split from its online gambling and sports betting business. However, it said in November that about 185-215 jobs could be lost in the process.
The operator closed Casino Tampere in December less than two years after opening what it had billed as the casino of the future. However, Veikkaus has said that the changes could also create new roles, while others may be restructured. Lallukka suggested that the operator may seek to grow the Fennica Gaming’s B2B operations internationally,
“We will continue to invest in business that we deem to be significant for Veikkaus’ future competitiveness,” Lallukka said. “We want to turn Veikkaus into a company that is a major operator both in Finland and internationally, the customers’ first choice, and a shared source of pride of all Finns.”
