Gambling in Finland: Veikkaus warned over advertising breach

Police have warned the monopoly gambling operator for advertising in a programme watched by minors.

Finland.- The state-controlled monopoly gambling operator Veikkaus has been warned that it could have a €2.9m fine and a 30-day ban on marketing activity after it placed adverts in TV programmes watched by minors. The Police Board, which oversees the operator’s marketing, had identified an advert placed in a children’s programme in July, in breach of the Lotteries Act and Consumer Protection Act. 

Veikkaus ascribed the case to human error. It said it would work with the police to ensure it complies with all requirements. 

Sales and marketing director Anu Kytö said: “We are very sorry that, despite our joint development measures, our advertising has been seen in the advertising breaks of programmes aimed at minors due to human error.” 

However, Veikkaus suggested that the Police Board may have changed how it interprets the rules on advertising, now flagging adverts in programmes that are aimed at adults but also watched by minors rather than only programmes specifically aimed at minors. It noted another case that had occurred in May in relation to a programme on MTV

“It seems the police board may interpret the rule in a new and broader way. We made contact with the police board as soon as the decision was made and we are looking over this issue with them,” Kytö said. 

MTV’s commercial director Sauli Asikainen said its agreement with Veikkaus includes the stipulation that over 70 per cent of a programme’s viewership must be over 18 for ads to be shown. “This is a jointly agreed model that has been valid for years and is known to the authorities. Now we are waiting for possible new instructions,” he said.  

Other restrictions on Veikkaus’s marketing include the obligation to include age limits on all material, not to promote bonuses and not to glamourise gambling. 

Currently, Veikkaus is the only legal gambling operator in Finland and the only operator allowed to advertise its service, However, the government has submitted proposed legislation to the European Commission with a view to open a competitive licensed gambling market in Finland from January 2026. The government expects to introduce the legislation to parliament in spring 2025.

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.