The National Police Board in Finland has blacklisted 13 gambling brands.
The NPB or The National Police Board has blacklisted a series of Betsson-owned brands in the first case of a gambling operator being blocked in Finland. Banks and payment providers must block transfers to the brands.
The brands blacklisted belong to Betsson and BML Group. BML Group is the operator’s subsidiary. The total or brands blacklisted are 13. The move comes after Betsson lost a court case last month against NPB. The court ruled that in breach of the Finnish Lotteries Act, BML Group had targetted marketing and advertising at Finnish customers. The Group was fined €2.4 million.
The state-controlled operator Veikkaus is the only business allowed to offer gambling products in Finland for now. Nevertheless, by 2026, the country plans to open a competitive regulated gambling market. It has also begun planning for the transition. Veikkaus has announced layoffs. Moreover, to update its fixed-odds betting offering, it has entered into a deal with OpenBet.
Meanwhile, despite a decline in gambling participation, a new survey indicates a rise in problem gambling in Finland. According to THL or Institute for Health and Welfare, 4.2 per cent of survey respondents said they suffered from problem gambling or were at risk. At the national level, that equates to 150, 000 people.
In previous surveys, the figure is a rise from 3 per cent. According to THL, the increase is significant. Compared to women, men were much more likely to suffer from problem gambling. 6.6 per cent says that men gambled at a level considered to be seriously problematic. On the other hand, women has 1.8 per cent.
