Finland's Minister of Ownership, Tuppurainen, expressed hope in an interview with MTV Uutiset that an investigation into the country's gambling monopoly could begin early in 2023. She stated that both the government and opposition parties are aligned in exploring the end of the current monopoly. "As the minister of ownership, I myself hastened to make a report on a possible transition to a multi-licence system," Tuppurainen mentioned. "It is only a good thing that the opposition also shares this perception."
This discussion arises ahead of Finland's general election scheduled for April 2, 2023. Tuppurainen aims for the investigation to clarify the transition to a licence system prior to any potential changes in the government.
"There are parliamentary elections next spring, and it would be ideal that by the time of the government negotiations, we would have enough information to be able to make policies in the government negotiations," she added.
Tuppurainen elaborated that shifting to a licensing framework would standardize regulations across all gambling providers. She pointed out that non-Veikkaus operators lack regulation, resulting in insufficient player protection compared to Veikkaus, which enforces strict deposit limits.
Moreover, she highlighted that the Finnish government does not benefit financially from unlicensed gambling activities. "Right now the game companies from abroad operate as if in a wild grey zone. They are not subject to the same liability regulations that apply to Veikkaus," she commented. "The situation naturally causes gambling disadvantages and at the same time the taxman’s hand is twisted, which means that the profits from gambling also go past Finland to foreign countries."
Finland currently operates under a monopoly with Veikkaus, a government-owned entity, holding exclusive rights to all gambling activities, including lotteries and slot machines. Veikkaus was established in 2017, merging three prior monopoly operators: Fintoto, Finland’s Slot Machine Association (RAY), and the lottery entity Veikkaus.
Sari Multala, a member of parliament from the National Coalition Party, noted that Veikkaus’ monopoly on lottery and land-based casino gaming remains secure. She suggested that having a single provider eases regulation for these sectors. "On the online side, the [current] regulation cannot achieve the goals we need. Monitoring is easier in the physical world than online," Multala explained.
There has been longstanding opposition to Finland’s monopoly system, with numerous industry groups advocating for its dissolution. In 2023, a legislative committee remarked that the current system is "practically broken" and called for consideration of alternative methods if Veikkaus' monopoly can no longer be sustained.
