A leading member of the Finnish ruling party, Minister of Europe and Ownership Management Tytti Tuppurainen, told reporters last week that the government supports ending the gambling monopoly of Veikkaus.
She said an investigation of privatizing gaming, including the pros and cons has been accelerated with broad multiparty support.
Tuppurainen declared, “There are parliamentary elections next spring, and it would be ideal that by the time of the government negotiations, we would have enough information to be able to make policies in the government negotiations.”
Veikkaus has held a monopoly of gaming activity in Finland since 2017. It runs slot machines, takes sports wagers and runs the lottery. However, it has come under more scrutiny and criticism from consumers.
In 2022, CEO Olli Sarekoski and Deputy CEO Velipekka Nummikoski noted that despite its exclusive status, less than half of those who gamble use it. The implication is that most Finns bet on offshore, unlicensed sites.
Tuppurainen said the government’s goal is to tax those entities. “Now the game companies from abroad operate as if in a wild gray zone. They are not subject to the same liability regulations that apply to Veikkaus’ playing,” she said, adding, “The situation naturally causes gambling disadvantages and at the same time the taxman’s hand is twisted, which means that the profits from gambling also go past Finland to foreign countries.”
A member of one of the opposition parties, Sari Multala, said she supports the government’s approach: “[I]it is really important that such a speech” was made by the ruling party, she said.
