Finnish police warn influencers over gambling promotion
Police say there’s a “common misconception” that marketing from outside Finland is allowed.
Finland.- The Finnish National Police Board has warned two social media influencers that they could face fines if they don’t stop promoting illegal gambling.
While there are plans to open Finland’s online gambling marking to commercial operators from 2027, the country currently has a monopoly system, with state-controlled Veikkaus the only operator permitted to offer gambling products. As such, police says that influencers that promote gambling products that are not licensed in the country are breaching the country’s Lotteries Act.
Both cases related to affiliate content on platforms such as Twitch and Kick. Police say the content either directly or indirectly marketed gambling in Finland despite stemming from outside of the market. The Police Board warned that the influencers could face fines of €30,000 if they continue to breach regulations
“The board considers that through their actions related to commercial co-operation, the influencers have increased the visibility of gambling, gambling websites and companies serving as intermediaries for gambling,” it said.
Another influencer has already been hit with a fine for failing to stop promoting gambling within 30 days after receiving a warning, police said.
Senior adviser Tomi Sallinen said: “It seems to be a common misconception that the marketing of gambling in Finland from outside Finland would be allowed. However, this is not the case. Only Veikkaus is allowed to market gambling in mainland Finland.”
Under Finnish regulations, even Veikkaus must comply with advertising restrictions on the type of gambling that it can promote. It is not allowed to advertise online slots, which are seen as higher risk than other forms of gambling, and it must not contract third-party advertising.
The new Finnish Gambling Act is currently passing through Parliament. It would open a competitive licensing system for online gambling in Finland to come to an end. Veikkaus is to be split in two, with part of the company to retain its monopoly on land-based slots and sports betting and the other to compete with commercial online operators. It’s expected that operators will be able to apply for licences from early next year while suppliers will be able to apply for software provider licences from early 2027.
One candidate for a licence will be Hippos ATG, the new joint venture between Sweden’s ATG and the Finnish racing association Suomen Hippos. It’s already begun ramping up preparations and has confirmed that it will use the ATG brand at ATG.fi and will use ATG’s existing gaming platform. The company described this as the most cost-effective solution since it would use ATG’s existing design and communication assets.
Mikael Bäcke, CEO of Hippos ATG said ATG was a “strong, trusted, quality brand in Sweden and already familiar to many Finnish gamblers”. He said that 60 per cent of profit would go to support the Finnish racing sector.
The company has also launched ATG Talent, which will provide access to experts who will provide knowledge and support in team-building, leadership and sports psychology.
