Changes under consideration in Finland regarding the Lottery Act

The Lottery Act in Finland includes the regulations that the country uses within its gaming market. recently, government officials have sent proposals to Parliament for the Lottery Act in which changes would be made. Among the options are payment blocking and a slot ad ban.

Reducing Disadvantages

With the amendments, sources indicate that the government seeks to reform the industry and create a safer online gambling environment. The Ministry of the Interior stated that the purpose of the changes is to lower the disadvantages of gambling within the industry.

The new bill seeks to introduce payment blocking against operators that are not licensed by Veikkaus and advertise to players located in Finland. A block list would be created and reviewed by police to ensure that banks block transactions via such companies. All banks and service providers are to adhere to the payment blocking section, should it be approved.

Veikkaus slots introduced mandatory identification earlier in the year and this change would extend via the amendments to all forms of gambling. If approved, the identification factor would be implemented by 2024.

Marketing Changes

The revised Lottery Act would also include major changes to the marketing potential of operators. Advertising connected to games that are seen as harmful, like slot games, would be banned based on legislative changes.

As operators offer marketing advertisements for games, they must include the age limit for gambling within the ad along with the option to apply for a ban. Services connected to gambling addiction should also be included in the advertisement. Any violation of the new rules, if they are enacted, would see the Police Board apply penalty fees to the offender.

Opposite to the above changes, some areas would increase marketing potential for operators. The amendments to the Lottery Act would allow betting games to be marketed that are currently not allowed, like toto games. Government officials feel that this would bring players to the regulated market.

Also included in the amendments to the Lottery Act are that Veikkaus will need to consider adding gaming machines in its venues where they can be monitored without anything getting in the way. Machine suppliers, along with Veikkaus, would need to create a self-monitoring plan to make sure the control and harm prevention aspects are implemented into the games.

It is unclear as of yet if the submitted changes to the Lottery Act have enough support to move forward. If the amendments are approved, the gambling industry will be in for several major changes in the coming years.