Veikkaus Group, the state-owned monopoly operator of Finland, has returned to growth in H1, with lottery remaining one of the key drivers behind this.
For the six months ending 30 June, the company recorded €254.5m of gross gaming revenue (GGR) from lottery games, an increase from the €246.1m generated for the same period last year.
Performance was further bolstered by the operator’s new Milli game, as well as Lotto jackpot levels that were higher than the previous comparison period.
Alongside this, Veikkaus saw a significant growth across its digital channels, with digital-only lottery GGR going up by 9.1% YoY. Digital channels are now responsible for 64.5% of Veikkaus’ GGR (up 3.6% YoY), with the remaining 35.5% coming from physical point-of-sale.
Consolidated financial results showed actual sales revenue rose to €471.3m (H1 2025: €471.1m), while net profit was up 2% YoY to €234.2m (€229.6m). Lottery and Land Based Gaming GGR came in at €317.9m, while GGR from Betting and iCasino stood at €151.6m (€146.5m).
Lottery and Land Based Gaming remained the cornerstone of Veikkaus’ B2C results, constituting 67.7% of the operator’s total domestic revenue.
The return to growth will be welcome news for Veikkaus, as Finland prepares to launch its own licensed market in the summer of 2027.
While the state operator will lose its monopoly over iGaming and betting, it will still retain exclusive rights to operate lottery, scratch cards, slot machine games, and physical table games.
This will be arranged through an exclusive 10-year licence, which will cost the operator around €1bn paid over the course of the agreement.
Furthermore, Veikkaus is also planning to enter the international B2C gambling realm by the end of the decade.
The group already has international exposure through its B2B subsidiary Fennica Gaming, which also saw significant growth throughout H1, recording an 80.6% YoY increase in revenue to €10.3m (€5.7m) and expanding its presence across three continents and 21 markets.