Betsson Fined €2.4 Million for Violating Finnish Gambling Regulations
A Swedish gaming firm, Betsson, was hit with a substantial €2.4 million penalty by Finnish regulators for violating the nation’s stringent gambling regulations. The company’s subsidiary, BML Group, was found culpable for conducting extensive marketing campaigns aimed at Finnish players, a practice prohibited under Finnish legislation.
Only Veikkaus, the state-owned gambling monopoly, is permitted to advertise gambling services to Finnish citizens. Despite warnings and opportunities to conform, Betsson persisted with its marketing endeavors, resulting in the hefty fine and a prohibition on promoting its services to Finnish players. The Finnish authorities believe Betsson was driven by profit and continued its unlawful activities for an extended period, even after being cautioned.
The National Police Board examined the company’s strategies to minimize marketing and deemed them as mitigating factors when establishing the amount of the conditional penalty.
The prohibition forbids the distribution of any direct or indirect promotional materials on Betsson’s BML website promoting gambling services for sale in mainland Finland.
The prohibition also encompasses any communication targeting Finnish consumers, including the use of Finnish celebrities in consumer-appealing campaigns, as well as podcasts and articles aimed at mainland Finland and promoting gambling services in the nation.
Moreover, the prohibition applies to marketing BML services on websites other than those owned and managed by the group, where the group provides financial incentives to marketers.
To adhere to the prohibition, BML must stop publishing new sales promotional materials on its gambling websites targeting mainland Finland, eliminate all previously published sales promotional materials, and cease marketing on other websites.
As part of the decision, BML will also be included in the National Police Board’s managed payment blocking list when the prohibition takes effect on June 3rd.
The board stated, “If BML continues to target its gambling services marketing at mainland Finland despite the prohibition, the board will take action to enforce the conditional penalty imposed.”
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