"Who is ...?" presents a notable person from the sports and betting business every month.
Dec 2011: Hein Verbruggen
Aug 2011: Gianni Merlo
May 2011: William Gaillard
Mar 2011: Gerhard Heiberg
Feb 2011: Tegla Loroupe
Dec 2010: Risto Nieminen
Who is ...? |
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Risto Nieminen President and CEO of Veikkaus Oy, President of WLA and ELS |
| Biography | Interview | Contact |
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| Biography |
Risto
Nieminen is THE current figure in the world wide state controlled gaming and
sports lottery industry. Very recently elected to the position of the World Lottery Association's (WLA) President on November 4 in Brisbane, Australia, he holds other
very important positions in the industry such as the Presidency at EL
Sports (ELS), the
chairman of the European Lotteries Sports Committee and also is a non-elected
member by invitation on the European Lotteries Executive Board. As President and CEO of Veikkaus Oy, the Finnish national lottery, he has acquired ample and proven experience in the lottery and gaming world for more than two decades. Besides heading the Finnish Sports Television, he has managed the Finnish Sports Museum for almost 10 years and filled the position of the Secretary General of the Students' Sports Association. The mixture of a true and gifted historian with that of a solid and sound visionary makes him the diplomat to stand out and lead the industry to new and higher levels. A full list of current and past positions can be found here. Risto Nieminen was born in Vaasa, Finland on 5 September 1951 and holds a Master's Degree in History. |
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| As a sport historian, what is your best and most remarkable memory in world wide sports? | Rumble in the jungle where Muhammad Ali fought against George Foreman on the 30.10.1974 at Stade du Mai stadion in Kinshasa, Zaire. |
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| As a former athlete and a big sports fan, what makes sport different now from 30 years ago? | Today sports business has become a part of every top athletes life whereas 30 years ago it was enough when one was the best in the world in his/her own discipline. In modern world almost every athlete tries and also needs to secure their income which has caused numerous problems in the world of sport. For the same reason the integrity of sport is under a bigger pressure than ever. |
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| What threats and dangers will we face in sport in the future? | More competition will bring more athletes to the arena and this will of course increase the competition both within each sport and more importantly between different sports. This will bring us to the point where there will be more competition over sponsorship money and media time hence at the same time more opportunities and temptation to use questionable means in order to make more money or even earn your living. This continuous fight over your space in the spot light opens naturally also more possibilities for doping and other forms of corruption thus endangering the integrity of sport. |
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| Why should state controlled or state licensed lottery operators be treated differently from foreign, non-licensed operators? | The state controlled lotteries have deep traditions in supporting grass roots sport without the necessity of earning money for private stakeholders. The before mentioned can be seen e.g. in the way national lotteries promote responsible gaming without compromising their customers financial future. Also the national lotteries respect the laws and operate only in their own jurisdiction thus being an integrated part of the society. |
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| What will gaming be like in the coming decade? | The competition will increase not only within the gaming industry, but also between gaming and entertainment industry throwing into the ring an additional challenge. Here the companies who are able to renew their customer offering to meet the ever changing customer expectations will succeed and continue their growth in a responsible way. |
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| Contact Details | Veikkaus Oy Karhunkierros 4 FI-01640 Vantaa Phone: +358 20 750 750 Fax: +358 20 750 751 E-mail risto.nieminen@veikkaus.fi http://www.veikkaus.fi |
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