Finlands executive branch has presented a plan to the legislative body concerning the nation’s lottery regulations, which control the betting industry.
Officials from the government have indicated that the proposed changes are intended to “lessen the detrimental effects of wagering.”
The revised legislation will enforce payment limitations on unauthorized operators who promote their services within the Finnish marketplace. Law enforcement agencies will keep a list of gambling enterprises whose financial transactions should be halted by financial institutions and other payment processors.
According to the new proposal, obligatory identification verification – which was introduced earlier this year for slot machines – will also be extended to all forms of gambling. This is anticipated to become effective by the year 2024.
Marketing rules will also undergo modifications with the revised lottery law. Advertisements for gambling games deemed particularly harmful, such as slot machines, will be prohibited.
The legislation also mandates that operators incorporate information regarding the minimum age for gambling, the option to request a gambling ban, and resources for addressing gambling issues in their marketing communications.
The Law Enforcement Board will have the power to levy penalties when any promotional guidelines are broken.
However, promotional prospects will rise in certain regions. The new lottery legislation will permit the promotion of presently forbidden gambling activities, such as lottery games, which the government asserts will guide players toward the regulated market.
The Finnish National Lottery Enterprise must also determine where to position gaming machines on their property, placing them in locations that can be observed without hindrance. The Finnish National Lottery Enterprise and machine providers will also be required to create a self-monitoring strategy to ensure that “control and harm mitigation principles are implemented.”
The Finnish National Lottery Enterprise recently expanded mandatory loss limits to physical slot machines and will also establish a subsidiary specializing in B2B operations.
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