According to an investigation by the National Police Board, an undisclosed operator conducted Finnish-language marketing through multiple channels. This included sending text messages to consumers in mainland Finland, including minors who are not of legal age to gamble. The marketing also appeared on various Finnish-language affiliate websites and featured social media influencers well known in the country. It is important to note that advertising gambling is illegal in Finland, except for the current monopoly, Veikkaus. All other forms of gambling are also illegal in the country. The Police Board has contacted the operator and may impose a fine depending on their response to the illegal marketing.
The National Police Board’s lottery administration chief inspector, Johanna Syväterä, expressed concern about the aggressive marketing aimed at expanding the customer base of gambling sites, particularly alarming is the targeting of minors. Syväterä stated that online casinos offering fast-paced automatic games can cause significant harm and gambling addiction.
The National Police Board launched a national campaign earlier this year to raise awareness of illegal marketing and encourage consumers to report incidents. This campaign resulted in a one-third increase in marketing-related notifications to the police, aiding targeted surveillance efforts.
A recent government study compared Finland’s monopoly system with international practices and suggested new options for gambling regulation. One option is to grant regulatory authorities increased power to prevent consumers from accessing unlicensed gambling services abroad. The study also proposed establishing a licensing model for gambling regulation, similar to systems implemented in Finland’s neighboring countries. State-owned Veikkaus supports this study and CEO Olli Sarekoski believes it would significantly improve the channeling of users to legal offerings.
