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Finland's Slot Machine Association or RAY (Finnish : Raha-automaattiyhdistys) was a government-supervised and -owned nonprofit gaming (gambling) association (statutory corporation) in Finland. On January 1, 2017, RAY merged with the government-supervised and owned nonprofit betting agency Veikkaus and Fintoto . The new company that was founded as a result is also called "Veikkaus". RAY was a gambling monopoly whose proceedings went to domestic charity such as pensioner care and gambling addiction treatment. While RAY was best known for its slot machines, the company also dealt in online gambling and controlled the only official casino in Finland, Casino Helsinki. [1]
RAY's operations were governed by legislation and decrees. The operations of the other Finnish gaming organisations, Veikkaus and Fintoto, are also based on the Finnish Lotteries Act. [2] The act was last amended in 2012.[ needs update? ]
RAY's revenue came from slot machines, casino games, and casino and digital gaming. All the proceeds from RAY's gaming operations were used to support Finnish health and welfare, and these funding decisions were also based on legislation. [3]
The history of the Tuplapotti predecessor, the Potti game, dates back to 1986, and in the 1990s, a newer version of it was developed that rose to much greater popularity than its predecessor. The game was developed by Veikkaus (by then known as RAY), and the game is still one of the favorite gambling games in Finland. [4]
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports.
A slot machine, fruit machine, poker machine or pokies is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers.
A game of chance is in contrast with a game of skill. It is a game whose outcome is strongly influenced by some randomizing device. Common devices used include dice, spinning tops, playing cards, roulette wheels, numbered balls, or in the case of digital games random number generators. A game of chance may be played as gambling if players wager money or anything of monetary value.
Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet. It is a prolific form of online gambling.
Firearms regulation in Finland incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country. Both hunting and shooting sports are common hobbies. There are approximately 300,000 people with hunting permits, and 34,000 people belong to sport shooting clubs. Over 1,500 people are licensed weapons collectors. Additionally, many reservists practice their skills using their own semi-automatic rifles and pistols after military service.
A racino is a combined horse racing track, or other live parimutuel betting facility, and casino. In some cases, the permitted form of casino gambling is limited to slot machines or video lottery terminals, but many locations also offer table games such as blackjack, poker, and roulette. As of the end of 2023, there were approximately 50 racinos operating in the United States. Racinos operate in other countries, including Canada and France, as well.
In the United States, gambling is subject to a variety of legal restrictions. In 2008, gambling activities generated gross revenues of $92.27 billion in the United States.
The Gaming Control Commission was an agency responsible for regulating gambling and other financial games of chance in Ontario. In 1996, it was replaced by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario with the passage of the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act (Ontario).
Gambling in Russia is legal in four regional subject areas, and in 2009 was made illegal in all other areas of Russia.
Gambling in Pennsylvania includes casino gambling, the Pennsylvania Lottery, horse racing, bingo, and small games of chance conducted by nonprofit organizations and taverns under limited circumstances. Although casino gaming has been legal for less than two decades, Pennsylvania is second only to Nevada in commercial casino revenues.
Speden Spelit is a television game show presented by Spede Pasanen. It aired first on the Finnish channel Kolmoskanava in 1988 and from 1993 to 2002 on MTV3.
Slot machine terminology, characteristics and regulations vary around the world.
Gambling in Norway is illegal for the most part. Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the 2 only companies allowed to offer gambling services to Norwegian citizens. Norsk Tipping offers games like lotteries, sports betting, Keno and several others. Norsk Tipping is wholly state-owned company under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Church affairs, with rules about what times of day, and how much money players can bet. As of January 2019 all players have to be over 18 years of age to play all games of Norsk Tipping, including scratch tickets. Norsk Rikstoto is also state-owned and is the only company authorised to arrange horse race betting.
Gambling in Estonia is relatively young. While Estonia was a part of the USSR, all types of gambling activities were banned. Despite the prohibition, illegal casinos still functioned, but the real history of gambling started in 1994-1995 when the first Lottery Act of 1994 and the first Gambling Act of 1995 came into power. As the capitol, Tallinn has more casinos than any other Estonian town. As of September 2010, there were 33 casinos in Tallinn. That's 3 times less than in 2008, when 91 gambling venues operated in this city. According to experts, the main reasons for such decrease were the consequences of the crisis and the adoption of the new gambling law in 2008. The legal age for playing at casinos is 21.
Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of Texas include the Texas Lottery; parimutuel wagering on horse and greyhound racing; charitable bingo and raffles; and three Native American casinos. Other forms of gambling are illegal in Texas.
Casino Helsinki is a casino located in Helsinki, Finland, located less than a ten minute walk from Central Railway Station. It's owned by government-owned Veikkaus and is one of the few casinos in the world, and the second in Finland, to donate all of its profits to charity. The other non-profit casino in Finland is Paf which donates all of its profits from the autonomous Åland islands. Casino Helsinki employs around 200 people, and it had around 305,000 visitors in 2009 with around 30 million euros of revenue.
EveryMatrix Ltd is a B2B iGaming software provider company founded in 2008 with its headquarters in Malta. EveryMatrix supplies online gambling platforms, products, and software to online casinos, sportsbook operators, and state-owned or private lotteries. EveryMatrix is a member of the European Lotteries Association and World Lotteries Association.
Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of California include cardrooms, Indian casinos, the California State Lottery, parimutuel wagering on horse racing, and charitable gaming. Commercial casino-style gaming is prohibited.
Veikkaus Oy is the Finnish government-owned betting agency which holds a monopoly in the country. It was formed in 2017 as a merger of three previously existing betting and gambling agencies of Veikkaus, Fintoto and Finland's Slot Machine Association.
Gambling in Singapore is controlled by several statutes, being the Casino Control Act, Gambling Control Act and Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore (GRA) was formed on 1 August 2022, by reconstituting the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore (CRA), to regulate gambling in Singapore. It is a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs.