Beginning 1 January 2024, players will need to show identification to purchase scratchcards and claim any winnings. This new requirement for identification will apply to games such as the Ässä and Casino lottery offered by Veikkaus.
Valid identification options include driving licences, “Kela” cards, and Veikkaus cards provided by the operator. However, until the end of 2023, scratchcards will continue to be sold as before, and winnings from scratchcards purchased in 2023 can be claimed without the need for identification. These changes are in accordance with the country’s Lottery Act.
Scratchcards are the latest product group to be added to the list of games requiring identification. Since May of last year, consumers have been required to provide identification for coupon games such as Lotto and Eurojackpot. Veikkaus director of sweepstakes, Ville Venojärvi, said, “Conditions for identification of scratchcards are good. We have a very large customer base with the identification of coupon games, so identification is already a familiar operating method to our customers. With identification, we prevent gaming disadvantages, strengthen age limit monitoring, and build a safer gaming environment for everyone.”
Veikkaus is one of the first gaming companies worldwide to require identification for both digital and physical channels, including scratchcards. This move aims to enhance social responsibility in gaming.
In other news, Veikkaus plans to launch a new scratchcard-based draw game in 2024. Players who do not win on their scratchcards will have the opportunity to enter them into a daily draw at various points of sale across Finland. Five prizes of €1,000 will be drawn daily, providing more excitement and chances to win for scratchcard players.
Furthermore, Finland is set to open up its gambling market by 2026, ending Veikkaus’ gambling monopoly. The country’s ministry of the interior has proposed establishing a regulated market with a licensing system. However, Veikkaus will likely retain its monopoly status for the lottery and retail slot machines. Deputy CEO Velipekka Nummikoski expressed Veikkaus’ support for the government’s efforts to regulate the market, while also highlighting the possibility of job losses and the need to restructure the operator’s operations.
Veikkaus expects to cut jobs and close gaming arcades as part of its preparations for the end of its monopoly. Approximately 240 jobs may be lost, and the number of gaming venues will be reduced from 65 to between 40 and 50.
