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Ålands Penningautomatförening or Paf is a money gambling operator based on Åland in Finland and owned by the regional government.
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Native name | Ålands Penningautomatförening |
|---|---|
| Company type | Government agency |
| Industry | Gambling & Casinos |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Mariehamn, , |
Area served | Worldwide except Non-Regulated Countries |
Key people | Christer Fahlstedt CEO |
| Products | Slots, bingo, casino, poker, betting online, live betting, lotteries |
| Services | Online Gambling, Physical Slots in Baltic region, Club Paf Casino, Poker |
| Revenue | €177.1 million (2023) |
| EUR 55.1 million (2023) | |
Number of employees | 316 (2023) |
| Parent | Ålands Penningautomatförening |
| Subsidiaries | paf.es |
| Website | www |
Paf offers games on the internet and on board cruise ships in the Baltic and the North Sea. The company also has physical gaming activities on Åland. Paf's mission is to generate funds for the public community on Åland. Every year, around €20 million in Paf funds are distributed by the Government of Åland to a range of projects within health, culture, education and sustainability. Paf has customers in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Spain and Latvia and is licensed and controlled by the local Åland government.
An independent allocation board distributes Paf's profit to non-profit associations, individuals and organizations that support the local community on Åland. In 2020, the allocation board distributed a total of €15 million in Paf funds to public good in the form of grants.[1][2]
- Social activities: €3,500,000
- Environmental activities: €600,000
- Youth work: €612,000
- Sport: €1,780,000
- Arts and culture activities: €2,349,000
- Leadership grants: €27,000
- Event grants: €200,000
- Other operations grants: €3,000,000
- Investment grants: €2,902,000
- Integration: €30,000
Paf is a global leader within responsible gaming. In 2018, Paf became the first money gaming company in the international market to set a loss limit for its customers. The new limit, designed to curb problem gambling, stipulates that no customer can lose more than €30,000 annually by playing at Paf. The company's other responsible gaming initiatives include prize-winning innovations for regular follow-ups of customers' gaming habits and collaboration with Richard D. Court of the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University within responsible gaming research.[3]
Paf also arranges a biennial Responsible Gaming Summit[4] to provide an international platform for increasing awareness regarding responsible gaming. The conference attracts gaming operators, partners, academics and decision makers to raise awareness, create transparency between stakeholders and share best practices.[5]
History
editPaf was founded in 1966 for fundraising on Åland by non-profit organizations Folkhälsan på Åland, Rädda Barnen (Save the Children), Röda Korset (Finnish Red Cross) and the Dagens Barn foundation for children.[6]
In the early 1970s, Paf started to operate aboard car ferries registered on Åland. In 1999, Paf launched its first online games.[6]
Since Paf is owned by the regional government of Åland and its profit is distributed to the public good, it is paramount that company operations are administered in a socially responsible way. Therefore, Paf decided to implement an annual loss limit for any customer playing at Paf. The limit entails that a single customer playing at Paf may not lose more than €25,000 annually.[7]
Paf and Sunborn Hotel opened Casino Sunborn in Gibraltar in spring 2015.[8] It was sold to its competitor Admiral in July 2018.[9]
In 2021, the Finnish Supreme Court (KKO) sentenced Paf to a community fine of 250,000 euro in a case related to negligent money laundering.[10]
In 2024, Paf has made an environmental sustainability commitment to reach Net-Zero by 2040. The climate target has been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).[11]
Awards
editIn 2014, Paf was named the most socially responsible gaming company in the eGaming Review Operator Awards.[12]
In 2017, Paf was again awarded the prize for the most socially responsible gaming company in the eGaming Review Nordic Awards.
In 2018, Paf was awarded the prize for Best Marketing Campaign in the eGaming Review Nordics Awards.
In 2018, Paf was chosen as one of the 40 most inspiring working places in Finland by Corporate Spirit Ltd.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Paf raises €21 million for the public good in 2014". News Powered by Cision. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
- ^ "Paf Annual Report 2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
- ^ "Tukholman yliopisto tutkii nettiviestinnän keinoja pelirajojen asettamiseksi". Turun Sanomat. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ "Responsible Gaming Summit". www.paf.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Peliyhtiö Paf investoi 320.000 euroa peliriippuvuuden tutkimukseen". Medicine Nuntium. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ a b "The history of Paf". Paf. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ "FOX secures removal from FTSE Russell gambling exclusion list". Gaming Intelligence. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Casino Sunborn License Granted - Essential Marbella Magazine". Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Sunborn and Casino Admiral join forces on new venture". Chronicle.gi. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Penningtvätt av oaktsamhet". Finlex Data Bank, Finland's Ministry of Justice (in Swedish). 3 February 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "Paf commits to reach Net-Zero by 2040". Aboutpaf, Paf corporate webpage. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Paf wins award for social responsibility". Intergame. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ "Paf is one of the most inspiring workplaces in Finland - wins "Most Improved" prize". News Powered by Cision. Retrieved 3 January 2021.