According to a new survey, 31 percent of Finnish adults support a proposal that would abolish the gaming monopoly held by Veikkaus Ltd., a state-controlled company, and open the market to license bids.
The survey conducted by research firm Bilendi Oy was hardly conclusive; 27 percent of Finns are against the idea, and the rest either had no opinion or declined to answer.
The survey was commissioned by gaming firm Kasino Curt and conducted in March. Of respondents in the 18-54-year-old age group, approximately 32 percent want to abolish the monopoly, and 23 percent are opposed. In the 55-75-year-old age category, the results were essentially flipped: 27 percent of those polled want to abolish the monopoly, and 34 percent want to retain it.
Men and women also responded differently, according to CDC Gaming Reports. Of male respondents, 38 percent want to abolish the monopoly and 31 percent are in favor of retaining it. Among women, 23 percent support abolition and 22 percent are against the idea.
“Based on the survey, Finns seem to be divided between those who are in favor of the monopoly position of Veikkaus and those who are against it,” said Janne Juntunen, senior client service manager at Bilendi Oy. “Seventeen percent of the respondents had not gambled during the past 12 months, which may at least partially explain why their opinions do not fall at either end of the scale.”
