Finnish state-owned operator Veikkaus expects work on the construction of the UROS Live Arena in the city centre of Tampere, which will include the operator’s latest addition to its casino portfolio, Casino Tampere, to be completed in December 2021.The new venue will be designed in cooperation with a variety of specialists including Finnish interior designers and AV and media specialists. Specially created areas for social gaming will offer new products and ways of ensuring responsible gambling.
According to current plans, Casino Tampere will employ some 80 staff, with recruitment starting step-by-step in the beginning of 2021. Most employees will work within customer service, and staff will be trained with a specific focus on creating an environmentin which social responsibility and personalised customer experiences will be the top priorities.
The operator hopes the new casino will be “a trendsetter of the European casino world as a builder of a responsible gaming environment and a new type of arena casino”.
The plans include the implementation of a new registration system, which will feature compulsory account-based play for all customers, as well as the introduction of new tools for responsible gaming.
Veikkaus recently called for the early introduction of compulsory customer authentication across its network, which was originally planned for its retail venues from 2023. The operator said last month that it would introduce the measure at its own Feel Vegas and Pelaamo arcades from January 2021, as part of an effort to clamp down on underage gambling.
In addition, customers using the operator’s decentralised slot machines in stores, kiosks, service stations and restaurants, will also be required to register to gamble from January.
Sami Aiho, general manager of Casino Tampere said: “Veikkaus’ casinos will be trailblazers in responsible gaming. The authentication provides our customers tools for gaming control, which they can use to manage their gaming by, for example, setting limits on their gaming or opting for a total gaming ban.”
The plan to introduce compulsory verification for customers has been in place since 2019, and Veikkaus expects it to be implemented at its existing venue Casino Helsinki from spring 2021, prior to the opening of Casino Tampere in December.
At present, customers at the existing Casino Helsinki must registered, and under the new measures, will be required to always show their casino cards before they can play slots or table games. The authentication system differs from that in place at Veikkaus’ other arcades and points of sale, where only members of its customer loyalty programme have to ‘log in’ before playing.
“You can only join as a loyal customer if you are living permanently in Finland,” Casino Helsinki general manager Tiina Siltanen explained. “We have a lot of foreign guests at the casino, so the compulsory authentication linked to your Veikkaus Card is not an option.”
