ATG Says Veikkaus Is Abusing Its Monopoly as Finland’s Reforms Continue

ATG, a Swedish specialist in horse racing bets, has accused Finland’s gaming monopoly, Veikkaus, of abusing its power to secure itself a dominant market position. This accusation comes amid an ongoing process to liberalize Finland’s market and end Veikkaus’ monopoly.

Finland Prepares for Sweeping Gaming Reforms

Finland, which is one of the last European countries that still offers gambling under a monopoly model, is steadily heading toward a liberalized future where the monopoly is no more. The country hopes to adopt a regulated model where multiple companies can secure license and offer gambling, not unlike the framework employed by most European markets. The Finnish government hopes to implement a licensing system and end Veikkaus’ monopoly on January 1, 2027, opening a new chapter for Finnish gaming.

Veikkaus was open to the changes, although it had previously warned that this shift would necessitate a major restructuring of its business and a reduction of its workforce. As the market changes approach, Veikkus also unveiled plans to modernize its business and enhance its tech stack in preparation of the coming competition.

However, as the operator’s business restructuring continues, it was accused of employing anti-competitive practices.

ATG Lodged a Complaint

Swedish betting operator ATG accused Veikkaus of trying to abuse its current monopoly to secure itself certain unfair advantages over other companies. The former company lodged a complaint against the Finnish monopoly, asking Finland’s Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV) to review the matter.

This complaint came as Veikkaus scrapped its 15-year horse racing partnership, cutting off long-established ties between Finnish and Swedish horse racing.

In addition to that, Veikkaus has penned agreements with several TV production companies, securing itself agreements with sports leagues ahead of the liberalization of the local market.

Additionally, Veikkaus, already boasts a significant player base, providing it with major cross-selling opportunities and, by extension, a significant advantage.

Veikkaus Firmly Rejected the Claims

Veikkaus, however, parried these claims, emphasizing that the ATG partnership was ended due to the latter company’s reluctance to pen along-term agreement with Veikkaus.

Veikkaus’ leadership furthermore said that the Swedish operator’s accusations are incomprehensible and completely baseless.

The Finnish monopoly promised to familiarize itself with the complaint and respond to the KKV’s concerns soon.