Finland to Crack Down on Gambling Advertising

24.05.2019, 16:49

Nobody saw it coming, and yet here it is again. Another country is banning gambling advertisements. This time, it’s Finland and, to be honest, almost all gambling ads were already banned.

Unlike Italy, where gambling ads and sportsbook endorsements were just recently banned, only state-owned company Veikkaus is allowed to run gambling-related advertising in Finland. However, many TV and radio broadcasters are advertising international gambling sites. 

Now, the police and local regulator have joined forces to combat the issue. Should any broadcaster break the law, they risk losing their broadcasting license. This echoes the situation in Spain. There, a major broadcaster banned gambling ads from their networks.

Nevertheless, many Finnish gamblers are not satisfied with Veikkaus. According to a survey, 31% of adults would like to abolish the company’s monopoly. 27% were still in its favor, while the rest didn’t have an opinion. As some experts claim, lack of competition lets Veikkaus set its own rules for the market. Moreover, it might lead to worse problem gambling than before.

The survey proposed an alternative, where a licensing system would be introduced, similar to Sweden, which also considers banning gambling ads. However, the regulator there is more communicative with local gambling services. Before deciding on the ban, it strives to make the situation more optimal for everyone.

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