Ainhoa

What is Ainhoa?

Veikkaus, Finland’s state-owned gambling operator, has continued to restructure its internal organisation in preparation for the country’s newly liberalised gambling market, which will open on 1 July 2027. 

The reshuffle aims to strengthen the company’s competitive capabilities amid evolving market conditions.

The latest round of changes, announced on Wednesday, includes 15 existing roles being terminating, and 17 new positions established. These will impact several of its units, including the Data & AI department, two business units and finance teams.

How to play Ainhoa

Group income reached R6.58 billion ($411.9 million) across the first half of the year when excluding the Table Bay Hotel (TBH), which the company is running under a management agreement with IHG.

Sun International’s adjusted EBITDA (excluding TBH) edged up 2% to R1.59 billion in H1. Revenue growth was at the “upper end of expectations”.

H1 growth was driven by Sun International’s online division, with revenue from SunBet surging 35.5% year-on-year to R1.18 billion.

What is Ainhoa?

For years, the gambling industry’s investment story was built on a simple promise: more betting would mean more growth. That story is now becoming harder to sell.

Entain’s removal from the FTSE 100 is a telling sign of what has happened to gambling stocks across both Europe and the US in recent years. The company’s shares have fallen sharply over the past year, even as its first-half results showed continued growth in several important markets.

In the six months to June, Entain’s online net gaming revenue rose 7% in constant currency. Revenue in Britain and Ireland increased 13%, while the company maintained its full-year guidance for online net gaming revenue growth of 5% to 7%. So why is its stock price still so under pressure?