A Finnish speciality from Veikkaus: Reindeer Betting

-As a Finnish money gaming company, we naturally want to offer reindeer bets to our customers. Only in Finland! Juha Ahjolinna, Veikkaus' Product Manager, rejoices.

- Reindeer races are a great addition to our betting offerings alongside traditional betting sports.

Veikkaus also wants to offer interesting betting options to customers interested in reindeer sports.

-The sport is very fast-paced and exotic, and very strongly Finnish, so it fits perfectly in our betting offering. We see this as an opportunity to reach new customers, says Ahjolinna.

The Rovaniemi reindeer betting event will open for betting on Saturday, February 22nd in the afternoon, once the reindeer advancing to the Hot Series semifinals on Sunday have been determined.

The same model will be used every race weekend. Veikkaus' Winner Bet will be placed on the reindeer winning the Hot Series final race (A-final) on Sunday.

The event at Rovaniemi's Mäntyvaara racetrack will feature up to 150 reindeer competing over the weekend. The top 36 reindeer from Saturday will advance to Sunday's semifinals. The A-final will feature six reindeer that won their semifinals, from which the Winner Bet's winning reindeer will be determined. In the whole season there are bout 200 hundred reindeer competiting.

The world's toughest reindeer compete in the Poro Cup 2025 (Reindeer Cup).

-Finland is the leading country in this unique sport that combines reindeer and skis. In this winter sport, we clearly beat the Norwegians! Besides the top reindeer it is also important to have the skis in top condition to succeed in the races, says Juha Harri, Chairman of the Board of the Finnish Reindeer Competitors Association.

-We are pleased with this betting collaboration with Veikkaus. We believe that together we can raise awareness of our blue-and-white sport among new followers.

The opening race of the this year’s Poro Cup will be held at Rovaniemi's Mäntyvaara racetrack. There will be racing also the defending Reindeer King Kultala and the winner of Poro Cup Vilikas.

-The event is expected to attract over a thousand spectators over the weekend, and it has always drawn many tourists to Rovaniemi. It promises to be a wonderful weekend, Harri anticipates.

Veikkaus' Winner Bets for the Rovaniemi competitions will open for betting on Saturday.

-We naturally want to offer fans of the sport the opportunity to bet on their own sport. Through cooperation with reindeer competitors, the sport also gains visibility and can attract different target groups. The Poro Cup races are events that gather a lot of audience and visibility in their areas, says Ahjolinna.

Reindeer races have been organized in Finland for over 90 years. In the competitions, the reindeer driver has skis on their feet and reins in their hands. The Poro Cup races will tour different parts of Finland's reindeer herding areas over the next six weeks, culminating in the Royal Race in Inari. Winning the Royal Race is a big dream and goal to the Reindeer competitors.

The race results can be followed at kilpailut.porokilpailijat.fi

Poro Cup 2025

• February 22-23, 2025 Rovaniemi
• March 1-2, Utsjoki
• March 8-9, Sattanen
• March 15-16, Nuoritta
• March 29-30, Inari Royal Race
   

Veikkaus' betting format for each race weekend is the Winner Bet. At Rovaniemi The betting target being the winner of the Hot Series final race (A-final).