The successful German supermarket chain Lidl has announced plans to remove all slot machines from their stores across Finland. In doing so, the company became the first nationwide retail chain to ban slot games from their establishments in Finland.
What Are Slot Games?
Slot games have long been popular in brick-and-mortar casinos across the world. Games are relatively straightforward and in their simplest form involve players inserting a stake and spinning a set of reels.
Slots machines have evolved to include various minigames and other features but they remain luck-based gambling devices. There has been a surge of popularity in online video slot games thanks to a wide selection of themes and game mechanics found on top online casinos.
What Are the Gambling Laws in Finland?
Gambling licenses are not able to be obtained in Finland. Instead, the state-owned Veikkaus is exclusively in charge of and responsible for providing gambling services in the country. This is the case for all of mainland Finland but not overseas autonomous regions like the Åland Islands.
Why Has Lidl Done This?
The Finish state gambling agency is known as Veikkaus. They own and operate the slot machines in question and will be removing them from Lidl stores. The removal is scheduled to occur over the course of the summer with approximately 250 machines set to be taken away.
Lidl Finland CEO, Nicholas Pennanen, is keen to showcase Lidl as a responsible company and believes that this action is a step in the right direction. Pennanen stated that it is action rather than words that will demonstrate responsibility from the company. Lidl hopes that this decision will set an example for other retailers.
Board members at Lidl are well aware of the loss of revenue that removing slot machines will lead to. The company had profited from a deal with Veikkaus that was worth millions each year.
Has This Set a Precedent?
Lidl is keen for other retailers to follow in their footsteps. The supermarket chain made it very clear that their stance is based on being responsible and nothing else. This is clear from their acceptance of revenue loss.
Whether other retailers follow suit is yet to be seen. Casinos are very unlikely to make any changes given their business model revolves around gambling. Lidl has taken the stance that gambling can be irresponsible, and whilst it can, it is not inherently so.
Where Next for Slot Fans?
Finnish slots fans can turn to online casinos where they will find an abundance of online video slot titles. Lidl may be parting ways with their slot games but there is no chance that will be happening online.
There are loads of reliable platforms filled with great titles created by some of the top developers in the industry. You can find a variety of video slots including features like scatter, sticky wilds, expanding symbols, bonuses symbols, and multipliers. These games will often have bonus free spin rounds with lots of unique features to set each title apart.
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One such online platform that Finnish users can turn to for video slot action is Nettikasino247. This online casino reviewer is a one-stop-shop for all your online casino needs thanks to its comprehensive reviews of online casinos. You can find an array of platforms where you can play slot games as well as tips about bonuses and specific casino games.
Nettikasino247 provides reliable and tested reviews with honest opinions to help you choose the best online casino platforms to suit you. Here, you can select the most suitable websites for you to play your online video slots games on.
What’s more, you can find all the latest news regarding Finnish gambling and slots. The website has a team of experts that regularly update pages and give you all the information you will need to have fun and stay on top of things online.
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