Georg Tsonoulis on Challenges, Innovation, and the Future of Ship-Based Casinos

_{Georg Tsonoulis is helping to steer PAF on a course of expansion on land and sea. (Image: Georg Tsonoulis)}

Ålands Penningautomatförening (commonly abbreviated Paf) is a gambling operator owned by the Government of Åland, an autonomous region of Finland. PAF, has been running casinos on ships since the early 1970s. Today, the company operates on 26 vessels across four markets, partnering with five major shipping companies. The routes range from two-hour sailings between Helsinki and Tallinn to overnight journeys between Stockholm and Helsinki.

“Paf was founded in 1966 on the Åland Islands between Sweden and Finland by local charities and the Finnish Red Cross to generate funds for public good,” said Georg Tsonoulis during a podcast interview with casinos.com. 

“We began gaming at sea in the early 1970s. In 1999, we launched our online division. Today we operate all gaming onboard from slot machines to live table games, bingo and arcade games.”

Designing for Every Passenger

Running gaming on 26 vessels brings unique challenges.

“On any sailing we have diverse passengers, people using arcades, groups trying table games, and experienced slot players,” Tsonoulis explained. 

“We can’t swap the entire game mix for every trip, so we need one design that works for all passenger types. Every product offering has to work for complete beginners and experienced players.”

He said Paf conducts extensive testing and watches how people interact with games to “find the sweet spot where games are approachable yet engaging.”

Listen to the full interview on our Podcast

Using Data Without Long-Term Player Profiles

In land-based casinos, operators can build profiles of regular players. On ships, Tsonoulis said, that’s not possible.

“We have completely new customers on every voyage,” he said. “Instead of individual play data, we focus on game placement data, tracking which areas get the most play and which games perform best there. We ensure top-performing games are placed in ‘hot zones.’”

Because games are often spread around the ship rather than in one large casino area, he said this placement strategy is critical to maximising revenue.

Managing Space Like Prime Real Estate

“We analyze GGR per square meter, player popularity, and game reliability,” Tsonoulis said. 

“We try to bring new games that deliver good revenues with the same footprint. We’re also competing for space with non-gaming revenue opportunities like pop-up shops and promotional stands. It’s like managing premium real estate, putting the highest performers in the most valuable spots.”

Long-term, slots remain the main revenue driver and tend to get the most premium space.

Navigating a Patchwork of Regulations

Operating in international waters means dealing with multiple regulatory environments.

“Slot machines are highly regulated with rules varying significantly between jurisdictions, maximum win, maximum bet, seconds between spins,” Tsonoulis said.

“We spend considerable time negotiating with suppliers to customise games for compliance. Not all suppliers can provide settings that work everywhere.”

Staff training is also key. “We operate based on which flag the ship is flying,” he explained. “We have a solid framework in the background to ensure machines are set correctly according to the relevant legislation.”

Solving Problems Without Staff Onsite

Shipboard gaming brings issues land-based casinos rarely face.

“We often operate slot machines and arcades without staff present,” Tsonoulis said. “A simple issue like a stuck payout ticket becomes tricky without personnel onboard. We’ve solved this with a digital process for compensation, if a player has an issue, our system notifies them, customer support gets involved, and once approved, payment goes directly to their bank account.”

Innovation for Beginners and Nostalgia Seekers

Tsonoulis said many passengers are first-time slot players, so his team developed their own cabinets with in-house slot content that’s simple to understand.

“We created games anyone could understand at a glance,” he said.

“Our first was a one-liner with traditional symbols like bells and cherries. New players liked them, and even experienced players try them out for the nostalgia factor.”

Keeping Bingo and Table Games Fresh

Paf has run bingo for more than 25 years. We asked Tsonoulis how he keeps the bingo and table games fresh for new and existing passengers.

“We introduced a progressive jackpot that runs across 12 vessels, with winners about every three months,” Tsonoulis said. “We also run qualifiers for bingo finals twice yearly with hundreds of players. Bingo is social, easy to understand, and socially acceptable, it’s a reason many people choose to travel on our ships.”

Special poker events also draw crowds.

“We’ve held satellite tournaments where winners come onboard for finals, creating a crossover between online and offline gaming,” he said.

Keeping Operations Running at Sea

We asked Tsonoulis if there were any difficulties that arise, which are very different to those encountered at land based casinos. “We train onboard staff to handle urgent issues themselves and keep a larger stock of spare parts,” Tsonoulis said. 

“A centralized network setup lets us monitor machines in real time and often identify causes before anyone boards the ship.”

Moving Toward Cashless Play

Tsonoulis recognised the difficulties of going cashless on a ship. Sometimes technical issues can interfere but Tsonoulis is confident that it is the way forward. “We’ve introduced cashless options across all products,” Tsonoulis said. “On slots, we built our own device where players choose from four amounts, tap their card or mobile pay, and credits are instantly loaded. No app download or registration needed. Today, almost 40% of our turnover comes from cashless play, and it’s growing.”

The Future: Smaller E-Gaming and Entertainment Integration

“E-gaming is a big one,” Tsonoulis said. “We’ve adopted small-footprint versions of table games that fit in the space of a slot machine, and they were an instant hit. We’ll likely see more of these products suited for ship environments.”

He predicts shipboard casinos will increasingly blend into the broader entertainment programme.

“The line between gaming and entertainment will get thinner, with more crossover events, gaming linked to live shows or theme nights, and packages combining play with dining or other experiences.”

As for expansion, Tsonoulis said Paf is looking for more cruise and ferry partners. “Our strength is delivering a gaming product tailored for the maritime market, backed by decades of operational experience and strong technical support,” he said.