The online games of Veikkaus’ Toto games have stalled for almost a week due to a system update. When no less than 80 percent of gambling takes place online, the problems also cause significant financial harm.
14:36•Updated 14:43
After last Sunday’s update, trot playing on Veikkaus’ Toto sites is guaranteed. Veikkaus warns on its website that the website may stop working as the load increases.
– Not all game items have been playable online all the time and the game page is displayed to the customer in such a way that it works slowly, says Veikkaus’ variable betting product group manager Juha Ahjolinna.
According to Ahjolinna, if the game target is visible on the sites, it can be played with confidence.
– The problems are not in playing, in the correctness of the games, or in payouts.
The vast majority of sports betting takes place online these days. 80 percent of betting games, such as Toto, are done online and only 20 percent at racetracks or brick-and-mortar stores, where there is no interference in either.
– Of course, our challenges in online gaming have a significant impact on the destinations’ turnover, says Ahjolinna.
Business losses have not yet been investigated in more detail.
Hippos’ competition websites show that, for example, Vermo’s total turnover last Wednesday was 197,315.97 euros, while a week earlier, before the website problem, it was 393,022.59 euros.
– On an annual basis, we are not talking about big losses per se, but every day is important to us and we want to serve our customers just as well.
Saturday is the most important trotting day
We have been trying to fix the problems all week. Ahjolinna does not yet dare to promise that the Toto pages will still work without problems on Friday evening, when the Finnish trots start at 18:00 in the country.
For everyone, it would be important to get the matter sorted out by Saturday at the latest. Then the Turku trot is run, where the main starts are the finals of the 3- and 4-year-old Breeders’ Crown.
– It will be a very challenging situation if today (Friday) we do not make significant progress in the matter, which I of course hope for, Ahjolinna states.
Despite the disruptions to the website, raves can be played normally at racetracks and brick-and-mortar stores. Ahjolinna cannot say when the Toto pages will function normally again.
– Trotting is not the most popular sport in Finland, but trotting players and followers of trotting are passionate and yes, we have received feedback on the subject. We want to apologize to the trotting players and followers, says Ahjolinna.