Finland proposes Lotteries Act reform
The government has proposed a wide-ranging legislative reform that would allow the monopoly operator Veikkaus to launch B2B services.
Finland.- The Ministry of the Interior has launched a consultation on proposals for a wide-ranging reform of the Finnish Lotteries Act.
Far from opening up the country’s market as international operators have called for, the proposed reforms would cement the position of the state-run monopoly Veikkaus and allow it to operate B2B activities for the first time.
The proposals would allow Veikkaus to create a subsidiary to “provide gambling products and services to other companies”.
The reforms also include increased consumer protections, and measures to tackle the unlicensed gambling market.
The marketing of “particularly harmful gambling games, such as slot machines” would be prohibited, although there would be no new restrictions on the marketing of sports betting products.
Meanwhile, the National Police Board would be empowered to compile a blacklist of internationally licensed gambling sites that target customers in Finland. Local banks and payment processors would be required to block payments to their sites.
The ministry said: “The basic premise of the reform is that Finland’s gambling system will also in the future be based on the state monopoly in line with the government programme.”
It appears that support for the state-run gambling monopoly remains relatively high, at 71.7 per cent according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, however the majority of those aged 25-34 are opposed to the government taking steps to prevent their access to international gambling sites.
ID verification for slot machines
As of today (Tuesday, January 12) Veikkaus will require customers to verify their identity to play on its slot machines. The move is one of several player protection measures that aim to reduce player losses by up to €300m.
Players must use a virtual ID card on their phone to log in to play. The measure will later be extended to other products.
Meanwhile, Veikkaus has now extended its temporary loss limits until March.
