West Town

About West Town

Veikkaus’ international B2B subsidiary, Fennica Gaming, continued rapid expansion in H1 2026, with revenue increasing by 80.6% to €10.3 million from €5.7 million in the previous year. 

This growth reflects the launch of eInstants and iCasino products across various markets, including Italy, Canada, parts of Germany, Mexico, the Czech Republic and Iceland. 

Veikkaus stated that Fennica now operates in 21 markets across three continents and gaming verticals. Fennica secured an UAE online supplier licence last year. 

About West Town

UK operators already carry out enhanced checks on politically exposed persons (PEPs), but this case shows the limits of those safeguards, Bethan Lloyd, partner at law firm Wiggin, recently told iGB.

“PEP status does not prevent someone from gambling,” Lloyd explained. She said PEPs are entitled to bet, but not on events where inside information gives them an unfair advantage.

A low ranking MP or parliamentary aide is unlikely to meet the threshold for PEP status. She argued it would place an onerous burden on operators to verify every customer’s occupation.

About West Town

FATF released the report – Risks of Gaming and Gambling – on Wednesday. It updates the body’s 2009 analysis of the casino sector. In addition, it draws on questionnaire responses from 80 jurisdictions and written comments from a further 29, alongside industry consultation.

The report identifies land-based and online casinos and sports betting as carrying the highest money laundering exposure. By contrast, lotteries and scratchcards present lower risk. 

It finds that online gaming shows more documented terrorist financing activity than gambling, although proliferation financing risks remain limited across both sectors.