Finland continues state gambling monopoly
For now, the European Commission has decided that it will not take action as regards the legality of Finland's gambling monopoly. The Commission wanted to establish if the Finnish gambling policy based on a monopoly was in accordance with the European Union law. In its reply to the Commission, Finland stated that this was the case. Finland's system meets, in a consistent and systematic manner, objectives in line with public interests, such as prevention of problem gambling and money laundering.
In Finland, gambling activities are subject to strict state control and monitoring. Public authority control enables to guarantee players' legal protection, prevent abuse and criminal activity related to gambling, and reduce the negative social and health effects of gambling. The aim is also to prevent illegal gambling activities. The EU Court of Justice has ruled that, in their gambling policies, Member States must ensure strict and effective supervision to guarantee compliance with the rules governing gambling activities. The amendments to the Finnish Lotteries Act in 2010 and 2012 enable to meet this requirement.
In Finland, decisions on gambling policy are made by Parliament and the Government. Provisions governing Finland's gambling system and its operators are laid down in the Lotteries Act. Gambling activities are provided by the three operators licensed under the Act: Fintoto Oy, RAY (Finland’s Slot Machine Association) and Veikkaus Oy. Foreign or other domestic operators are not allowed to market or offer their games in Finland.
Inquiries: Päivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, Chair of the advisory board on gambling activities, tel. +358 71 878 8203