Veikkaus, the government-owned Finnish national betting agency and monopoly announced last week that by 2023 slots players will be required to confirm their identity before using the machines.
About 18,000 machines, most of them found in supermarkets, kiosks and gas stations, will be affected. Upgrading the machines will cost as much as 100 million euros, said the agency.
A recent report by the National Institute of Health and Welfare THL put forward authentication as an effective way to reduce problem gambling. The institute estimates that about 130,000 in Finland have the problem.
Whether the same requirement will be applied to the lottery or other forms of gaming in the country is not yet clear.
Pekka Ilmivalta, head of corporate social responsibility at Veikkaus, said last week that “It still remains to be seen whether or not the requirement to authenticate will affect all games and all types of gambling.”
Veikkaus has not yet determined what authentication method to use, mainly because payment technology is developing so rapidly. One issue will be whether non-Finish residents and tourists will be required to submit identification.
