Veikkaus is reducing the amount of decentralized slot machines in its retail network by 40%. At the end of 2019, it announced it was going to reduce the amount of slot machines by 3,500. That figure has more than doubled, decreasing the amount of slot machines by 8,000.
The effort to reduce is motivated by responsible gaming concerns. “Everyone should have a chance, for example, to do their shopping without relapsing to gambling. That is why all our decentralized slot machines only open for playing at 11 a.m. every day. They close by 4 a.m. at the latest. This change will remain effective until compulsory identification enters into force in January 2021. After that, people will have the chance to impose a total block on their slots gaming,” says Mr Jari Heino, Senior Vice President, Channels and Sales, explaining the new decisions.
The machines will also announce the amount of time played every 15 minutes to make sure people are aware of how long they have been playing.
Veikkaus will re-open its arcades on Friday June 26th. Customers are asked to maintain a healthy distance from each other due to concerns over the coronavirus.