Finland's state-owned gambling monopoly Veikkaus is actively preparing for the market opening in 2027, with its Executive Vice President of Digital Business, Jarkko Nordlund, stating in an interview that the company is undergoing a transformation through technological innovation and talent acquisition, vowing to break external doubts about its competitiveness.
As the Finnish government has decided to open the online gambling market in January 2027, this traditional monopoly operator is facing unprecedented challenges. Despite a continuous decline in Veikkaus's performance in recent years—with a 7.2% decrease in group revenue and a 19.5% decrease in operating profit in 2024—Nordlund's digital department is pushing forward with reforms.
"Everyone is waiting to see Veikkaus fail, and my mission is to prove them all wrong," Nordlund said. To achieve this goal, the company is implementing a comprehensive technological upgrade, including replacing the core PAM system, sports betting platform, and customer relationship management platform, and plans to launch a new mobile application in the coming weeks.
The talent strategy is a key part of the transformation. In July last year, Veikkaus hired former Kindred director Andreas Reimblad to lead the reform of the sports betting business, and in April this year, recruited former Kindred product manager Fatemeh Daneshzadeh as Vice President of Digital Channels. Nordlund revealed that the company is not only poaching from the gambling industry but also actively recruiting professionals from digital entertainment companies like Netflix and Bolt.
This series of reforms is accompanied by difficult organizational adjustments. In September last year, Veikkaus announced it would renegotiate contracts with 620 employees to establish a more flexible operating model. Vice President of Human Resources Heli Lallukka stated that these measures are intended to help the company adapt to the upcoming competitive market environment.
Despite the pains of transformation, Nordlund is confident about Veikkaus's future: "We have not yet fully demonstrated our technological strength, but once the market opens, we must be highly competitive. Our goal is to change the existing mindset." As 2027 approaches, whether this veteran operator can successfully transform will become the biggest highlight after the opening of Finland's gambling market.
