Veikkaus Enters the International Betting Market for the First Time with Viabet

Finland's state-owned operator Veikkaus has announced the Viabet brand to enter the international consumer betting market for the first time. The brand will serve customers in Finland and Denmark under a commercial partnership with Viaplay Finland and Viaplay Denmark.

Viabet will open on 1 July 2027. This date will be the day the competitive licensed online gaming market starts in Finland, ending Veikkaus's monopoly in this area.

Under the partnership, Veikkaus will bring together its technology, customer experience and responsible gaming tools, while Viaplay will contribute its sports media content. Veikkaus plans to use selected Viaplay content on its own platform and will provide sports data and analytics services to strengthen Viaplay's sports broadcasts. The company's international activities have so far been limited to supplying gaming technology to customers in 21 countries under the Fennica Gaming brand.

Veikkaus CEO Olli Sarekoski described this step as an important milestone in the company's growth plans. Jonas Reuter, Deputy Head of the International Business unit, called the liberalization of the market a significant growth opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Finnish National Police Board has approved at least 12 of the 79 applications so far and has said it has not rejected any application yet. Veikkaus is not among the approved operators, but it will keep its exclusive rights to lotteries, scratch cards and land-based gaming machines.