Recently, The Ministry of the Interior opened a public consultation period for a draft bill. This is to de-regulate the gambling market in Finland, and calling for a partial dissolution of the monopoly of Veikkaus.
Under a licensing system outlined in the government program, the bill would open the games to competition. It would also do away with the monopoly of the state-owned company in betting and online casino and slot machine games.
According to a press release from the Ministry of the Interior, Veikkaus would in practice retain its monopoly on games like lottery games and scratch cards.
The licensing system aims to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm and channel demand to the regulated market, as described in the program. The necessary licenses depends on the type of gambling. You can obtain a gambling license, exclusive license, or game software license from a supervisory authority established under the Ministry of Finance.
In Finland, the National Police Board is currently responsible for supervising gambling.
A notable share of betting and gambling on the internet has taken place outside the monopoly. This is even though Veikkaus has had a monopoly on gambling. In result to this, outside the scope of national regulation and supervision, reminded the Ministry of the Interior. Foreign providers of online gambling games receive approximately 500 million euros annually. This estimate comes from a 2023 report presented to the ministry by rapporteurs.
The bill also sets forth provisions concerning age limits, registration, and verification of gamblers. It also includes the gambling marketing and sponsorship. For instance, the bill forbids commercial partnerships on the accounts of social media influencers. Meanwhile, licensed service providers are permitted to advertise their business and offerings through various channels.
