Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Policy

Veikkaus Group has zero tolerance for corruption. This commitment is stated in Veikkaus' Code of Conduct, which guides the actions of all Veikkaus employees. The prevention of corruption and bribery is a central part of the company's Code of Conduct and the complementary anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy, which is approved annually by Veikkaus' Board of Directors. 

The policy defines prohibited practices, such as direct and indirect bribes, facilitation payments, unreasonable gifts and hospitality, and improper sponsorships. It provides personnel with practical guidance for managing risk situations and procedures for reporting suspicions. 

Key Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Principles  

Commitment to Ethical Business  

We are committed to conducting business in an ethically sustainable and transparent manner. We do not accept corruption or bribery in any form and expects the same commitment from all its employees and business partners. We continuously identify, combat and prevent potential corruption and bribery through regular risk assessments and measures. 

Definitions  

Corruption is the abuse of power or position to obtain undue advantage. Bribery is the most common form of corruption and refers to the offering, promising, giving or receiving of any valuable bribe with the intention that the other party acts unlawfully or otherwise improperly in performing their duties. Our personnel may not directly or indirectly offer, promise, give or receive bribes. 

Conflicts of Interest  

A conflict of interest refers to a situation where an employee's financial or personal matters affect or may affect their loyalty, professional judgment or performance of work duties. Personnel must avoid transactions and situations that may lead to conflicts of interest or create the appearance of a conflict of interest. Personnel must report all conflict of interest situations immediately to their supervisor, recuse themselves from the matter when necessary, and ensure proper documentation of the situations.

Gifts and Hospitality 

Employees may not offer, give or receive gifts or hospitality that violate the policy. All gifts and hospitality must be reasonable, proportionate and generally acceptable. 

Giving or receiving gifts or participating in hospitality is prohibited in the following situations: 

• Those participating in a procurement process may not participate in events organized by parties involved in the procurement process or receive gifts or hospitality from them during the process;
• Giving or receiving gifts to or from a public official is prohibited;
• Giving or receiving cash or equivalent monetary benefits is prohibited regardless of value. 

Sponsorship and Donations 

We enter into sponsorship agreements with selected targets in accordance with our internal guidelines. Selected targets must promote our strategic objectives and represent our values. Sponsorship may not be used to obtain personal benefits or other inappropriate financial advantages. 

We do not make monetary donations nor directly finance communities or charitable organizations. We also do not provide support to political parties or individual politicians.

Relations with Public Officials

Our business may require establishing and maintaining contacts with public officials. Special care must be exercised in matters relating to public officials. Giving or receiving gifts to or from government officials is prohibited. All hospitality offered to public officials must be fully transparent, properly documented and recorded in the accounts.

Third Parties

The use of third parties in business requires special care, as they may involve significant risks in terms of corruption and bribery. We may also be held liable in situations where a third party engages in corruption or bribery in connection with our operations. 

We require all our contractual partners to commit to the Supplier Code of Conduct, which includes anti-corruption and anti-bribery requirements. The Code of Conduct is part of the agreement to be signed. 

Training and Communication 

Training related to the anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy is included in the mandatory Code of Conduct training as well as separate anti-corruption training for all our employees. Targeted training is provided especially for those in identified highest-risk positions. 

We regularly communicate anti-corruption and anti-bribery themes to our personnel.

Reporting Violations and Suspicions 

Our personnel have an obligation to immediately report all observed or suspected violations of the policy primarily to their supervisor. Suspicions of bribery or corruption must be reported to the Group's Head of Compliance (compliance@veikkaus.fi). We also have an ethical reporting channel through which employees and contractual partners can report any corruption or bribery cases they have observed or suspect. Reports can also be made anonymously. Read more about the ethics reporting channel here. 

We regularly assess the corruption risks we have identified and take the necessary measures to eliminate or reduce those risks. We continuously strive to develop our anti-corruption and anti-bribery practices as part of our responsible business operations.