Almost 250 Veikkaus employees face redundancy ahead of Finnish monopoly’s end
Operator confirms discussions are underway with a further 195 staff potentially seeing “material changes” to contracts
Almost 250 Veikkaus staff face the threat of redundancy as the operator prepares to streamline ahead of the end of its monopoly reign in Finland.
With a multi-licence commercial market set to be introduced by January 2026, Veikkaus has confirmed plans are in place to reduce costs to achieve a “sustainable and lucrative business model”.
The operator noted negotiations would cover a total of 825 staff members, the outcome of which may result in a maximum of approximately 240 redundancies.
A further 195 staff members could see “material changes” to their conditions of employment.
In addition to redundancies, Veikkaus confirmed it was planning to reduce its land-based footprint to further focus on its digital arm.
The firm noted it plans to reduce its number of venues from 65 to between 40 and 50.
Discussions are also underway in relation to the possible closure of Casino Tampere.
Olli Sarekoski, Veikkaus CEO, said: “We want to be competitive in the upcoming licence-based market and viable in the monopoly market. That is why we need to make operational changes that cover the whole company.
“It will bring with it many parallel changes. We will go through the whole organisation from the perspective of lucrativeness and growth.
“We will also have to make difficult decisions. For some, these changes may mean the termination of their employment relationship. We will be caring for and looking after them,” he added.