RAY going online with Playtech

RAY was founded in 1938 and holds the exclusive rights to manage all gaming operations in Finland including slot machines and casino games and reported revenues in 2009 of 651 million euros. It currently has over 19,000 slot machines in more than 8,400 locations across the Nordic nation alongside 300 land-based casino games. It also operates the nation’s only casino, the Grand Casino Helsinki.

Playtech stated that the four-year contract was signed following a formal tender process and will see its software and technology platform power RAY’s online offering, which is set to be launched later this week. “This important agreement is further evidence as to the superiority of our product and the success of our stated strategy in soon-to-be-regulated markets,” said Mor Weizer, CEO for Playtech.

“We have longstanding experience of helping land-based operators develop highly successful and complimentary online offerings. I am delighted that RAY has recognised our unparalleled credentials and chosen to partner with us”, he added.

“RAY is an extremely experienced operator and very highly respected by Finnish players and the community as a whole. We very much look forward to working with it to develop the important and highly active Finnish gaming market. By establishing a domestic online offering, RAY will be furthering its philosophy of responsible and trustworthy gaming. The unique player management tools we can provide will ensure a secure and safe operating environment in line with RAY's core values”, Weizer concluded.

In addition to real-money multi-player poker offered over an exclusive local network, Playtech revealed that the new online offering from RAY is also set to include casino games utilising its EdGE gaming platform alongside a mobile capability. “This agreement ensures we will have a world-class Internet offering for RAY's customers,” said Janne Perakyla, Gaming Operations Executive Director for RAY.

Using Playtech's technology platform and content, RAY can provide a constantly developing gaming selection, the most reliable and safe online service and offer the best customer support. We strongly believe these are the key elements to attract both new and existing online customers.

“There are many technical challenges for a provider to satisfy the requirements for a national online service including regulatory authority supervision, player identification checks as well as implementation of RAY's own gaming selection and responsibility tools. Through our formal tender process, it was clear that Playtech not only satisfied all of these requirements but had the best solutions for these challenges. We are looking forward to starting this new business with Playtech.”