Antti Kurvinen, minister of culture and sport of Finland, wants to treat profits from the country’s gaming monopoly Veikkaus the same as that of the government alcohol monopoly—by transferring it to the state budget.
Gaming revenues are in decline, he notes, which hurts the beneficiaries of the fund, organizations that benefit culture, sports, youth, social welfare and health. This is a result of a loss from slot machines attributed directly to the Covid-19 pandemic and to actions by the government to fight gambling addiction.
Minister Kurvinen, who took over his ministry in May, proposes making the change beginning 2024. He told the Finish News Agency STT:
“My view is that from the beginning of 2024, Veikkaus’s income should be transferred to the state budget in the same way as, for example, Alko transfers its own dividends and income to the state budget, from which they are used for good purposes.”
He added, “Without a clear change and reform, we will find ourselves in a situation where the income of Veikkaus’s beneficiaries is constantly falling. This is about the income of Finnish science, culture, youth organizations and especially sports and exercise.”
