Wilderland

How to play Wilderland

Registered customers increased to approximately 2,672,000 at the end of June, an increase of around 50,000 from the previous year.

For the first half of 2026, lottery and land based gaming generated €317.9 million in gross gaming revenue, remainin flat compared with H1 2025. 

Lottery games contributed €254.5 million, up from €246.1 million, bolstered by a 9.1% increase in digital lottery revenue propelled by the Veikkaus app and product launches such as Milli (launched June 2025). 

About Wilderland

Around 49% of the adults surveyed said they had gambled within the past four weeks, a figure consistent with previous years. 

When excluding those who only played lottery draws, participation stood at 28%, implying lottery-only players comprised roughly 21% of the adult population. 

Online gambling participation over four weeks reached 39% (16% excluding lottery-only players), while in-person gambling participation was 29% (18% excluding lottery-only players). 

How to play Wilderland

While this initially seemed terrifying, I quickly discovered that this outsider status was a gift. It has allowed me to view the industry through fresh eyes. I do not have any preconceptions about companies or products. This has become my superpower, allowing me to analyse the industry without bias and, hopefully, help shape its future.

iGaming was not the industry I set out to work in. Before 2021, I worked in finance and business – agro companies, management consultancy and investment funds, none of which were remotely linked to the industry.

In 2021, I joined an investment fund focused on startups harnessing AI and machine learning. In the process, I had a chance encounter with an iGaming investor. This sparked a conversation that would change the course of my career. He pointed out that iGaming was dramatically underutilising its data potential. There was an opportunity here, and once we began exploring it, the thread just kept unravelling.