Veikkaus to establish ethics board

On Tuesday, it was confirmed by Finish gambling firm, Veikkaus, that there was to be an internal ethics board established in order to consider recent criticisms that have been levelled against the company.

The criticisms were directed at the company following public backlash to a Veikkaus radio ad that appeared to encouragefrequent gamblers to further indulge in their habit. As a result of these concerns, several Finish NGOs urged Veikkaus to take action and suggested that health care professionals now be consulted.

Company administrators had been tasked with preparing a road map for this purpose and that it was to be presented at the next board meeting of the state-owned company.

In addition, Veikkaus also updated its own guidelines, ensuring that these now include a so-called responsibility metric in their reward system. This new development is designed to track the behaviour of those with potential addictions.

“Responsible values are integral to all of Veikkaus’ services,” commented Ollie-PekkaKallasvueo, the chair of the company. “We have been steadily evaluating the emergence of problematic gambling trends.”

The company had previously disbanded it’s ethics committee in early 2017, following it’s fusion with Finland’s other large betting companies, Slot Machine Association (Ray) and Fintoto.

A member of the Veikkaus and a prominent politician, IikkaKanerva, said that the agency relies on responsible gambling principles but the latest move was to further safeguard vulnerable gamblers.