The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has issued a warning over how the switch to an open market in the country will “shift” the emphasis from harm prevention towards gambling revenue.
Finland’s liberalised market market is due to launch in July 2027 after legislation passed late last year. This will allow operators outside of the country’s traditional monopoly – currently held by Veikkaus – to apply for licences and offer online gambling in Finland.
However, the THL has raised concerns over the impact of a larger market on consumers. It said gambling advertising and customer acquisition will increase significantly under the new licensing system. As such, this could place players at higher risk of gambling harm.
The organisation referenced recent data that suggested problem gambling is already on the rise in Finland, ahead of the open market launching. Some 151,000 people are currently classed as having a problem with gambling, representing 4.2% of the population.
THL Research Chief Sari Castrén said this will move emphasis from harm prevention towards gambling revenue. Castrén added: “Gambling involves risks and ultimately the house always wins.”
Finnish players urged to follow ‘2-4-2’ rule
To ease its concerns, the THL has launched a new gambling risk limits and self-assessment test to help players manage their gambling.
This, the organisation said, will be based on players spending no more than 2% of their net income on gambling, playing no more than four days per month, and avoiding regularly playing more than two types of games.
The system will follow a similar approach to Canada’s Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines. However, following two years of academic research, including quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups, it will be modelled specifically for Finnish players.
“2-4-2 is everyone’s credit line for managing their own gambling,” Castrén said.
Uncertainty over safer gambling measures in Finland
Operators can begin applying for licences from March this year. However, the government is yet to finalise some of the safer gambling measures that will apply to licensees.
The new Gambling Risk and Harm Assessment Group (GRHAG), operating under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, launched a consultation on certain proposals. However, these have been met with uncertainty by several operators.
Proposals included a single, cross-operator loss limit register, meaning players could only lose a certain amount across all licensees. Other potential measures were for operators to provide player control tools such as limits for deposits, losses and playing time. Operator-imposed tools would also cover cooling-off periods and play restrictions, as well as blocking certain measures in specific cases.
SkillOnNet, which counts PlayOJO among its brands, was among the operators to hit out at some of the proposals. It said a low limit in the cross-operator model could push players to illegal websites.
Wildz Group raised similar concerns. The operator, which runs the Wildz Casino brand, said channelisation should be considered before deploying strict limits. Like SkillOnNet, it said harsh restrictions could deter players from gambling with approved operators.
Stakeholders have until 24 February to submit their opinion on the potential measures.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sustainable-gambling/responsible-gambling/finland-health-institute-harm-prevention-warning/
