Efforts to protect children and youths from enticing gambling advertisements continue to intensify as the Finnish government seeks to implement a new regulatory framework for the country’s growing iGaming industry. New laws outline the rules advertisers must follow to ensure that gambling ads do not appeal to minors. The goal is to protect vulnerable people from the risks of gambling and ensure that those who can gamble legally can do so safely.
Key Points to Note
Finland is rolling out a number of key changes as it works towards a reformed gambling framework. These important developments seek to change the structure of the industry and improve consumer protection, especially for children. The key things to be mindful of are listed below:
- The Finnish government is implementing new laws to protect the young generation from potentially harmful gambling advertising.
- Finland has introduced consumer safeguards for protecting minors and ensuring that adult gamblers gamble responsibly.
- New regulatory reforms are expected to end Veikkaus Oy monopoly and introduce a new licensing regime allowing private companies to apply for licences.
Measures to Protect the Youth from Gambling-Related Ads
Finnish lawmakers are taking a firm stance to protect children and the youth from the problems associated with gambling. While the government acknowledges the impact online gambling in Finland has on the country’s economy, it emphasises the need to protect the young generation from advertisements that portray gambling as a desirable activity.
The new laws propose stringent rules and introduce harsh penalties for non-compliant advertisers. As a result, young people will be protected from early exposure to online casino games, sports betting, and other gambling activities that could lead to addiction. Overall, the new measures are expected to promote public health and responsible marketing practices.
With the proposed legislation, advertisers will not be allowed to promote gambling near schools and other places where children frequently visit. This proposal aims to make sure that slots, table games, and other gambling products do not appear easy to access, particularly to the most vulnerable group of young people. Once the new law takes effect, advertisements with such games will be banned from public places.
Influencers will also be required to adhere to the new legislation. These include people who market gambling services on social media platforms like:
- YouTube
- X
They will not be allowed to share affiliate links or post content sponsored by gambling companies.
Crucial Safeguards to Protect Consumers
Consumer protection is a top priority as the Finnish government introduces new laws to reform the gaming industry. With the growing number of offshore online casinos in Finland, many players are at risk of joining platforms without safeguards for protecting consumers. Besides banning advertisements that seem to entice children and the youth, there are new measures to ensure the well-being of all gamblers.
One of the regulatory requirements is to verify the player’s identity during registration and before betting. The objective of introducing a mandatory verification process is to ensure that players have reached the legal gambling age. These measures will prevent minors from joining gaming sites. Moreover, operators are required to monitor each player’s gambling activity.
There is also a unified self-exclusion scheme, allowing gamblers who cannot control their harmful habits to exclude themselves from gambling. Additionally, regulated operators should allow players to set deposit and loss limits while constantly tracking their activities to identify signs of problem gambling.
Impact of Finland’s New Regulatory Framework
The Finnish government has proposed regulatory reforms to abolish the current monopoly by Veikkaus Oy, the only state-owned company allowed to offer gambling services to players in the country. As Finland welcomes a new era in online gambling, a multi-licensing model is scheduled to replace this monopoly by 2027 following the issuance of business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) licences.
While allowing new operators to offer gambling services is a strategic move to open the market, this is not the ultimate goal of implementing the new laws. The government aims to provide a robust legal framework to protect children, ensure that operators operate legally, and promote responsible gambling across the country.
Final Words
Finland is gradually opening its gambling market to operators with its recent regulatory reforms. As new operators venture into the market, they must embrace responsible marketing practices by creating advertisements that do not target vulnerable children and teenagers. All these efforts are geared towards protecting citizens from problem gambling and improving public health.