Finnish police have intervened in the illegal promotion of offshore gambling services on social media. Two prominent influencers have been issued prohibition orders targeting Finnish consumers in defiance of the Lotteries Act. The defendants must now pay a conditional fine of €30,000.
Illegal Gambling Promotions in Finland: More About the Repercussions
- The Finnish National Police Board served prohibition orders to two social media influencers, seeking the immediate removal of gambling-related content from their channels and banning all promotional materials in the future.
- Authorities have determined that the two unnamed influencers have major financial incentives to continue promoting gambling services. Hence, a fine of €30,000 has been imposed.
- A third influencer was penalised with a conditional fine of €30,000 in July 2025 after they continued promoting gambling services targeting Finnish consumers in defiance of the law, despite an earlier warning.
Influencers Found in Breach of Gambling Prohibition Orders
Finland’s National Police Board (NPB), in a press release on September 3, 2025, announced that two unnamed social media influencers have been penalised for violating the Lotteries Act. Though the NPB had issued the prohibition orders in May, the announcement was only made recently.
One of the prohibitions took effect in June, while the other has been suspended as the defendant has appealed against it to the Administrative Court. The NPB evaluated that both influencers have a significant financial incentive to continue promoting illegal gambling services to Finnish consumers.
As a result, the authorities have imposed a conditional fine of €30,000, which will be enforced if the defendants continue to promote gambling-related services. The prohibition order applies to content that directly or indirectly advertises online gambling in Finland, in violation of the Lotteries Act.
To comply with the prohibition order, both influencers must remove existing content and refrain from posting similar content in the future. Failing either criterion would result in the authorities enforcing a conditional fine of €30,000, which can be challenged within a 30-day appeal period.
Finnish National Police Board Sets a Precedent for Preventing Illegal Gambling Promotions
The NPD has also reprimanded a third influencer for failing to comply with a previously issued prohibition order. The unnamed defendant was initially handed a warning along with a conditional fine of €30,000. The fine was enforced at the beginning of July, as the influencer continued to promote unlicensed gambling platforms via social media.
The defendant has not challenged the fine within the statutory 30-day appeal window. Lawmakers in Finland have taken strong measures against targeted gambling promotions to protect minors and vulnerable groups from gambling harm. The authorities clarified that all forms of gambling ads targeting consumers in Finland have been banned.
The NPB noted that all three influencers had been promoting gambling services on their Twitch and Kick streaming channels “for a long time”. The defendants promoted several offshore gambling platforms targeting Finnish consumers, and the marketing was done from outside Finnish borders. NPB Senior Adviser Tomi Sallinen clarified:
“It seems to be a common misconception that the marketing of gambling in Finland from outside Finland would be allowed. However, this is not the case. Only Veikkaus Oy is allowed to market gambling in mainland Finland.”
While Finland is transitioning toward an open gambling market, state-owned Veikkaus Oy still has a monopoly on land-based and remote gambling operations. As a result, it holds the exclusive right to promote such services in accordance with the restrictions laid out in the Lotteries Act.