Veikkaus confirms up to 215 redundancies as Finnish monopoly set to end
Monopoly operator notes another 115 employees will see their terms of employment change as a result of the new multi-licence system
Between 185 and 215 Veikkaus staff will be made redundant as the operator prepares for Finland’s new gambling system.
The operator has confirmed these staff members will be redundant following the conclusion of negotiations, which began at the start of September.
Veikkaus said a further 110 to 150 employees will see their terms of employment change “materially”.
The operator disclosed that the exact dates of the terminations and the material changes will be decided by the end of the year.
As part of the changes, Veikkaus has decided to shut down its land-based Casino Tampere on 9 December and 19 game arcades on 22 December this year.
Alongside the staffing changes and venue closures, Veikkaus said moving forward its operations will be divided into three sections.
SVP Nora Vähävirta will be in charge of the domestic business, which includes the remaining land-based arcades and slot machines.
SVP Jarkko Nordlund will manage the domestic online casino and betting site, while SVP Jonas Reuter will oversee the international business.
These negotiations came as the Finnish government confirmed that the country’s gambling system will change from a monopoly to a multi-licence commercial model from 1 January 2026.
Heli Lallukka, EVP of HR at Veikkaus, said: “The upcoming changes to the system are a great opportunity for Veikkaus, but they also bring many changes to us at Veikkaus.
“Our personnel structure will be revised, and we will be focusing on our core business, working to strengthen our know-how there.”
Lallukka continued: “In the coming years, we will be making significant investments to strengthen our competitiveness.
“We already have top-level professionalism in the field, but in the future, we will also need know-how from outside the company. For example, we can offer uniquely brilliant career paths and multiple opportunities in the tech sector at present, as well as in the future.”
Antti Koivula, legal advisor at Legal Gaming Attorneys at Law, commented: “To provide scale for the Veikkaus redundancy measures, they affect more than one quarter of all their employees.
“Not only was it announced that up to 215 employees will be fired, but 150 will face material changes to their employment, and it is not known yet how many of them will accept the changes.
“I’m deeply saddened, especially for those Tampere Casino workers who moved to Tampere in 2021 to work there, and now, only two years later, it will be closed