Finland monopoly operator and World Lottery Association (WLA) member Veikkaus will revolutionize its online and retail sportsbook offering following the signing of a long-term online and retail sportsbook platform agreement with SBTech.

Following a public procurement process, SBTech scored highest across a range of criteria to form a partnership that will significantly elevate and enhance the sports offering for Finnish players.

It has already begun to integrate its industry-leading sportsbook platform technology to Veikkaus’ online channel and is planned to launch in early 2020. This will be followed by the launch of its award-winning sportsbook platform across the Finnish operator’s extensive retail network of more than 3,000 outlets across Finland.

SBTech’s pioneering sportsbook platform will transform Veikkaus’ online and retail sports offering driving incremental revenues and building market share. Key initiatives include an overhaul of Veikkaus’ existing pre-match and live sports betting products; a bespoke UI designed for Finnish players built using SBTech’s next generation sportsbook APIs, and tailored risk management including integration of Veikkaus’ own trading feed.

SBTech’s innovative sportsbook will take Veikkaus’ pre-match and in-play betting offering to market leading standards. This will give Finnish players a choice of more than 55 sports and 2,000+ betting markets. SBTech will also deploy its latest game-changing sports innovations including new cash out functionality, and YourBet Betbuilder for multiple sports including in-play and PulseBet, all subject to approval from the Finnish regulator.

SBTech has a rich history in driving revenue for the private sector and, since 2017, has worked with numerous WLA members lotteries including Danske Spil and Sazka, achieving the same above-market growth curves in the lottery sector as it does for leading iGaming brands, with lottery operators seeking to increase market share through a superior product and player offering.

Andrew Cochrane, Chief Development Officer, SBTech, said: “We are incredibly honoured and excited to have been awarded this partnership as a result of a thorough and rigorous selection process.

“Our award-winning sportsbook solution will power both the online and retail channels for Veikkaus, and we look forward to working in collaboration with their team to provide a comprehensive range of innovative features. This partnership shows the commitment we have to the Nordic region and our continued success in the Lottery sector in signing yet another WLA member.”

Sami Kauhanen, Vice President – Betting, Veikkaus, said: “SBTech will provide us with leading-edge technology that will bring our offering to world-class levels, significantly enhancing our odds compilation, risk management, and results generation. This means we can free our resources to focus on our core strengths, such as increasing the attractiveness of our domestic betting offering.

“Our partners’ proven delivery of large-scale, revenue generating platform and software technology projects across numerous regulated markets, alongside their continual investment in innovation, gives us huge confidence and we look forward to working together to enhance and grow our offering in the coming months and years.”