News

Eeva Karppanen

SUORA



In general



Gaming in Finland is organized as a national monopoly, and the gaming market is divided between three organizations. Two companies, Veikkaus Oy and Fintoto Oy have games in internet.



As a rule money gaming, which refers to operating games in which the player can win money, is only permitted under a Government licence. Only one licence is valid at the same time for each type of money gaming. At present the right to operate money games is shared so that three associations have a licence. Only the National Lottery of Finland, Veikkaus Oy, which is totally owned by the State, may engage in money lottery and betting business. Toto games may only be operated by Fintoto OY. Casinos in turn may be run by Raha-automaattiyhdistys (RAY) (Slot Machine Association).



In recent years around 300 million euro of RAY´s operating profit has been used as funding assistance for health and social welfare organisations. Veikkaus returned 397.7 million euro to the Ministry of Education in accordance with the State Budget, to be distributed further to Finnish arts, sports, science, and youth work.



Online poker games



Online poker games are not arranged by Veikkaus, RAY, or Fintoto, who organise gambling within Finland, but there is no restriction on people playing on the net, using a credit card to provide the necessary funding to buy chips.



Future?



There has been discussions about state run online poker, because around EUR 150 million a year is thought to be taken by foreign online poker firms from Finns alone.



According to Helsingin Sanomat and YLE News Finland's Minister of Culture and Sport, Stefan Wallin is pulling for a state run online poker room. The state already offers two gambling monopolies in the state run Slot Machine Association (known as RAY) and the Veikkaus Oy, both owned wholly by the state and set to go with the possibility of online poker if Finland's government and Parliament should decide that's the way they want to go. RAY currently holds all rights to income derived from online slots and other online casino games.



News

Helsingin Sanomat

13.8.2007

Call for higher age limits for gambling



Source

Helsingin Sanomat

Yle News