Finland’s National Police Board (NPB) has blacklisted Betsson’s BML Group from payments made by players living in the country, said CDC Gaming Reports February 29.
When the NPB released its list of organizations blacklisted from payments. Betsson and its subsidiary and 13 operator brands were the total roster.
This is a first for Finland. Banks and other payment services and virtual currency providers are banned from any transfers to the gaming company.
The action derives from last year when a Finn court determined that BML Group was marketing to Finnish players, a violation of the Finnish Lotteries Act. It fined BML Group €2.4 million (£2.1 million/$2.6 million). Previously the NPB had determined that BML had illegally targeted Finns for an “extensive” time.
Only the country’s government operated monopoly Veikkaus is legally able to operate in Finland and advertise. Payment blocks were added to the police’s regulatory toolbox early last year, giving it a potent weapon against black market operators. It has been estimated that possibly half of the players in the country patronize illegal sites.
Betsson has the same problem in neighboring Norway, where a state-operated market operates and in the Netherlands, where it was blocked in 2021.
Betsson may eventually be able to enter the Finnish market as it is transitioning to a regulated marketplace, probably by no later than 2026.
