Report forecasts rise in match-fixing with launch of regulated online gambling in Finland
The Finnish National Sports Council warns that the launch of a regulated market could weaken monitoring mechanisms.
Finland.- The Finnish National Sports Council has raised concerns that the end of the state monopoly over gambling in Finland could lead to a rise in match-fixing cases. Under the new Finnish Gambling Act, the government intends to introduce competition in a regulated online gambling market in 2027, but the FNSC say the move could weaken monitoring mechanisms for sports.
Recent years have already seen a rise in suspicious betting activity in Finland, it notes. Data from the Finnish Centre for Integrity in Sports (FINCS) shows a rise in manipulation alerts submitted to the Finnish Centre for Integrity in Sports (SUEK) from under 20 in 2022 to over 60 in 2023 and 71 cases in 2024.
More recently, SUEK completed a four-year investigation that found potential match-fixing within Finland’s professional floorball competitions. Completed with assistance from the state-run gambling operator Veikkaus, the probe focused on suspicious betting activity in the F-League and Inssi-Divari between 2021 and 2025 and reviewed betting data from 114 players and club officials who together placed over a thousand bets on domestic matches.
According to SUEK, ten people, including players, managers and sporting directors – were responsible for 80 per cent of these violations, and some had placed bets on their own teams, including wagers on losses.
Football and ice hockey, Finland’s most popular sports, are also considered vulnerable, as is horse racing. Finland’s sports integrity laws are mainly focused on anti-doping, but the report calls for more legislative coverage to address betting-related manipulation before threats Veikkaus’s monopoly ends.
It recommends introducing the concept of “sports fraud” into legislation and suggests a long-term funding strategy to help rebalance resources that have traditionally prioritised anti-doping.
Further proposals include formalising FINCS’ role as a regulatory authority, increasing collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Culture and the creation of a national action plan involving both government and regulators.
The report draws parallels with other countries in Europe that have introduced regulated online betting, including Sweden’s move to end Svenska Spel’s monopoly and switch to a multi-licence system in 2019. There, authorities took measures such as banning betting on youth sports. The report also notes the decision to ban betting on amateur sports in Germany.
