We care to make a change
Paf is a slightly different company. We are in it for the long run. We care about our customers and the society we live in. We’re an international gaming company founded on the Åland Islands with the clear purpose to generate funds to be used for the benefit of society.
How did it all start?
Supporting society was at the heart of Paf from the very beginning. We were founded on the Åland Islands in 1966 by the local health charity Folkhälsan together with the local branches of the Finnish Red Cross, Save the Children and Dagens Barn foundation. We are licensed and controlled by the Government of Åland.
A business with many faces
Paf’s head office is located in Mariehamn on the Åland Islands. In total we have around 316 employees from 26 different countries working at our offices across Europe including Helsinki, Stockholm, Norrköping, Oslo, Tallinn, Riga, Gzira, Madrid as well as onboard cruise ships in the Baltic and North Sea.
Online, on land and at sea
Paf meets its customers in the virtual world and in person. Paf.com is a full service gaming site offering slots, betting and casino products. We are proud that many of our most popular games are made by our in-house Games Studio. We also have slot machines, gaming tables and amusement games on 29 cruise ships criss-crossing the Baltic and North Seas.
An industry leader in Responsible Gaming
Paf is an award-winning industry leader in responsible gaming. We are constantly evolving and innovating in this field. We were the first gaming company to introduce gaming therapy insurance. In 2018 we introduced a mandatory Yearly Loss Limit that applies to all our customers
Our history
Our birth
Paf was formed on Åland on 31 October 1966. Our founding associations were The Red Cross, Save The Children, a public health foundation and a children’s charity. Licenced gaming began on 1 January 1967 with two part-time employees and 51 gaming machines. Since the start the funds we generated was used for the benefit of society.
On the ocean waves
In 1973 Paf negotiated sole rights for gaming onboard Åland registered car ferries and our profits began to really take off. Between 1974 and 1999 about 95% of our profit came from gaming at sea. In the 80s we generated about €15m for the benefit of society. During the 90s we generated a further €34m. By 1999 we had grown to around 80 employees.
Online pioneers
Paf created one of the world’s very first online gaming sites, which we launched on 3 December 1999. Always looking to innovate, from the very start we made our own exclusive games in the Paf Games Studio. By the end of the 00s we had generated a further €100m funds for the benefit of society and our workforce had grown to over 200.
World records breakers
It’s good to be lucky in life and in business. In November 2012 we broke the world record for an online slot jackpot win exclusive to a single gaming company (8.6 million euros). Just two months later, in January 2013, another Paf.com player won 17.8 million euros. This was a new world record for a slot jackpot win and remains only a fraction away from the existing record.
Going green
We reimagined and redesigned our Mariehamn Head Office in 2016. We wanted to create a building that was a landmark statement for sustainability. Our new head office is a passive house that is eye-catchingly clad in 742 solar panels producing energy year-round. Employee initiatives complement this ‘green-thinking’ in all of our offices and facilities.
The future
Paf is a company that adapts as the world and our industry changes. Our business is growing both online and at sea and we now have around 330 employees. We are entering new licensed markets. We are leading innovators in Responsible Gaming. We continue to create our own exclusive games. All of our profit is still used for the benefit of society.