Betsson’s BML Group added to Finnish gaming payment blacklist
The company is the only name on the updated blacklist of blocked gambling operators.
Finland.- The Finnish National Police Board has updated its payments blacklist, which names gambling companies to which payments are banned. The only name on the list is Betsson’s BML Group.
The blacklist was introduced in 2022 under Finland’s Lottery Act. As with payment blocking in other countries such as Germany, the aim is to limit access to unlicensed gambling offerings. Blacklisted companies cannot conduct transactions with Finnish banks, payments providers and players.
The latest update of the blacklist was published on November 28. BML was initially added as the first name on the blacklist in February. The decision was made after BML was fined €2.4m last year for targeting gambling marketing at Finnish players in breach of local legislation, which continues to protect the monopoly of state-controlled Veikkaus.
However, the operator was removed from the list after it appealed to Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court. It has since lost its appeal, hence why it’s been put on the list again. It will remain there until at least October 19 2025.
BML, a subsidiary of Betsson, was found to be targeting Swedish players illegally.
The future of gaming in Finland
The latest action comes as the Finnish government prepares to launch competitive regulated gambling in Finland in 2026. Its proposed regulatory framework has been submitted to the European Commission for feedback.
The plan is to split Veikkaus into at least two separate businesses: its commercial offering and its national lottery operation, which will remain a monopoly. Some figures in the government are in favour of selling off the commercial side of the operator. This month, Veikkaus expanded its range of products by launching its first live casino offerings with longstanding partner Playtech. The live casino games are presented by Finnish-speaking dealers.
