As Finland develops its plans to end Veikkaus’ monopoly and open up the online market, iGB examines the fine print of the legislation. There’s bad news for marketers with stringent controls set out, but no cooling-off period for licence applicants, and potential for licensees to enter retail betting.
A liberalised online gambling sector has been a long-time coming in Finland, and the government’s 417-page proposal sets out a path to launching a competitive market by 2027.
“They have tried to have balance between business opportunities and responsible gaming,” Jari Vähänen, a former Veikkaus executive turned industry consultant, says of the draft. “The goal has been to raise the channelisation as high as possible.”
