Study raises concerns over continued underage gambling in Finland
The survey found that 15 per cent of students had gambled for money.
Finland.- A survey has found that underage gambling continues to be an issue in Finland. Based on information collected by teachers at 177 schools, some 15 per cent of students said they had gambled for money between April 2023 and April 2024.
Some 25 per cent of males and 4 per cent of females aged under 18 said they had gambled, with their spend being on various products. However, the numbers were down significantly from 2019, when 46 per cent of males and 21 per cent of females were found to have gambled. Finland raised the minimum age for gambling from 15 to 18 in 2011.
The figures form part of a report from the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare published every four to five years on the use of alcohol, drugs and gambling among teenagers. The report is part of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), which collects data from various countries. The Europe-wide report will be published next year.
Opening of gambling licensing in Finland
The Ministry of the Interior has said that a regulated gambling market in Finland will open in 2027, later than the original target of 2026. The ministry is consulting on the plans, which would end the monopoly of state-controlled Veikkaus. The consultation will run until August 18, and the ministry plans to present a draft bill in the spring 2025 parliamentary session.
The ministry said the draft bill would aim to “prevent and reduce gambling disadvantages and to improve the channelisation of demand to the legally regulated gambling system”. A new gambling regulator would be created to oversee licensing, supervision and the creation of a centralised self-exclusion database. It would charge annual fees for both operators and suppliers.
Operators would be able to apply for licences from the first quarter of 2026, while suppliers would be able to seek software provider licences from early in 2027. From 2028, operators would only be allowed to offer games from software providers licensed in Finland.
