Finnish Health Institute stands against multi-licence market
Government body argues there has been no clear change in the number of new people playing outside of the monopoly and more operators could increase gambling-related harm
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has spoken out against the liberalisation of the Finnish market after claiming just 6% of Finnish gamblers are playing on the grey market.
Finland is currently in the process of exploring the legal and legislative changes that are required to shift from the current monopoly model to a multi-licensed commercial system.
The Ministry of the Interior has established a four-person research group to explore the pathway to transition, and with elections just months away, the topic is garnering further attention.
The Scandinavian nation is the only EU member state to boast an online gambling monopoly model, with Veikkaus, the only operator allowed to legally take bets in the country.
Several major political parties has supported the dismantling of the monopoly system, along with Veikkaus itself, but the THL has gone against the grain with its stance.
According to THL’s estimates, there has been no significant change in the amount of money Finnish gamblers are playing with outside of the monopoly.
THL said that around 5% to 6% of adults in Finland play with operators other than Veikkaus, with a significant proportion of this number playing with Paf operating in the Åland Islands.
THL noted that this would amount to less than €300m a year being gambled with outside of the monopoly system.
This statement contradicts data gathered by H2 Gambling Capital, which estimates that the annual leakage has doubled in five years.
The governmental body also argued that opening the door to more operators in a multi-licence system would increase the risk of gambling-related harm for customers.
Jani Selin, a specialist researcher from THL, said: “Information is needed before major political decisions affecting the entire society are made about the system. Decisions cannot be based solely on the gambling behaviour of a small group of people.
“In the public discussion about the gambling system, there are claims about the growth of gambling outside the system, but based on the data sources monitored by THL, there is no growth,” he added.