Finnish legislators ask if de-monopolized market could increase gambling harm

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 8:49 PM
Photo:  Flag of Finland flickr photo by Aaronigma shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC) license
  • Nicole Macedo, iGaming Business

A legislative review council in Finland has called for more detail on whether the new gambling framework could increase gambling harms and what impact that could have on healthcare capabilities in the country.

The council, called Lainsäädännön arviointineuvosto, reviews pending legislation in the country and evaluates where it may be lacking. It published its evaluation on the new gambling legislation on 2 January, including questioning how Finland’s new framework could increase gambling harms.

This is compared to the current system under which only the monopoly operator can legally provide online gambling to consumers.

By opening up to commercial competition, it is thought that gambling-related harms could increase due to the number of players rising.