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Veikkaus and Viaplay Group Forces to Elevate Entertainment with Exclusive Sports Access
NGOs Urge Veikkaus to Combat Gambling Addiction and Include Public Health Experts to its Board Composition
August 14, 2019 Aleksandra Zolotic
Veikkaus, the state-owned monopoly gambling distributor, received a request from NGO’s which are fighting against gambling addiction. The institutions have urged the operator to include public health experts into their board composition.
As far as the non-profits say, the organization mainly focuses on making profits at the expense of reducing problem gambling. Moreover, expertise on the drawbacks of excessive gaming plays “a very small role” on the Veikkaus board.
Experts Needed
The Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention or Ehyt…
… called for Veikkaus to follow the example of the state-owned alcohol monopoly retailer, Alko, which typically assigns public health experts. According to Juha Mikkonen, Ehyt’s executive director:
“It would be preferable for the Veikkaus board, management, and istrative bodies to also have expertise in preventing harmful gambling.”
Sirpa Paatero, the minister responsible for government ownership steering also pointed out the importance of including educated professionals when selecting board , as the presence of an expert can play a vital role in enhanced protection.
Defining Responsibilities
NGOs gave suggestions that…
…the ministerial oversight for Veikkaus could be transferred to the social and health affairs ministry, which is the same situation as with Alko. The prime minister’s office is currently responsible for monitoring the performance of the gambling firm.
Mikonnen commented as follows:
“If we consider that Veikkaus’ main mission is to prevent problem gambling, it could raise the question of whether or not ownership steering should lie with the social affairs and health ministry, which is responsible for work combating the dangers of excessive gambling. Alko is governed by the health ministry because the state-owned company has a specific function that is related to public health.”
Defense Strategy for Aggressive Marketing
ing the increasing number of companies and institutions which are establishing plans to ban excessive advertising…
…Finland’s Police and Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, also puts plenty of efforts to prevent illegal gambling ads on television and radio. In addition to this, The National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland has issued a statement calling for more stringent rules regarding gaming-related marketing in general.
This means that Veikkaus, despite being the only company allowed to offer entertainment services should also follow the same guidelines.
New Name on the Market
Announcing their entrance to the Finish market…
…sports betting technology provider, SBTech gained permission to deliver its content to consumers in Finland. The provider sees the collaboration as an excellent opportunity to provide a comprehensive range of innovative features to the new spectrum of followers.
Source:
“NGOs Want Veikkaus to Appoint Public Health Experts to its Board”, Niji Narayan, europeangaming.eu, August 12, 2019.
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Yes, I think experts, being neutral individuals will make a valuable contribution to the board and give some additional perspective to the whole thing.