The Finnish gambling reform has been deemed “on the right track” by the KKV. However, the KKV suggests that there is still room for improvement regarding preventing and reducing gambling-related harm. One way to achieve this would be to redirect Veikkaus revenue into the treasury instead of specific funding areas. Currently, a majority of Veikkaus revenue goes to the Ministry of Education and Culture, while a portion is allocated for improving health and social welfare through the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The KKV believes that this allocation creates a situation where efforts to reduce gambling harm could potentially result in underfunding for these areas.
The KKV research professor, Mika Maliranta, highlights the contradictory nature of the current setup, stating that active efforts to reduce gambling disadvantages may impact the amount of funding provided to Veikkaus beneficiaries. On the other hand, if the gambling monopoly fails to actively address harm, it fails to fulfill the purpose and justification of the law, thus hindering the social debate surrounding Veikkaus’ responsibility.
The KKV proposes that redirecting Veikkaus’ revenue would bring predictability and stability to the funding of current beneficiaries. Additionally, the KKV suggests placing Veikkaus’ governance under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health instead of the Prime Minister’s Office. The Ministry already oversees monitoring, researching, evaluating, and developing prevention and treatment of gambling disorders, making it well-suited to guide Veikkaus towards causing less harm.
Moreover, the KKV recommends that further reform of the Finnish monopoly system should be data-driven, and Veikkaus’ data should be made accessible to the research community. The KKV has previously issued reports on Veikkaus, including one that determined the monopoly’s breach of Finland’s Procurement Act by making significant changes to its supply contract with International Game Technology (IGT).
In 2019, the KKV also advocated for the establishment of a central regulatory body for Finland’s gambling sector, expressing concerns over the inadequacy of the current framework.
