Finland Reiterates Zero-Tolerance Stance on Illegal Promotion of Gambling

Finland’s crackdown on illegal gambling continues as the country remains on track to launch commercial gambling. In a new announcement, the Police of Finland announced that its National Police Board had taken further action against violators. Finland Vowed to Take Action Where Necessary According to the announcement, the National Police Board’s Gambling Administration continues to take action against the marketing of unlicensed gambling activities. It explained that promotional material advertising such products tends to be more common across social media platforms and livestreams. Sometimes, such ads would explicitly target Finns, in breach of the local regulations. As the bodies responsible for overseeing the marketing of gambling products, the Gambling Administration at the National Police Board confirmed that prohibition orders remain among the legal measures at their disposal. Such orders can be issued to both companies and individuals and may also carry a conditional fine, the size of which depends on the severity of the violation. Unlicensed Gambling Can Harm Players The goal of prohibition orders is to ensure that ads promoting unlicensed gambling to players in Finland are discontinued. The imposition of a conditional fine may be considered necessary to ensure an immediate and effective end to the illegal marketing of gambling games. The purpose of the conditional fine is not to punish illegal activities, but to reinforce compliance with the prohibition decision and to ensure that illegal marketing actually ceases. Juhani Wallinvirta, head of group, National Police Board Wallinvirta added that unlicensed promotions encourage players to start playing with companies that are not allowed to operate in Finland, which is why such activity must be stopped. Unlike companies that are allowed to operate legally, unlicensed operators may lack fundamental player protection measures to shield players from harmful gambling. In its announcement, the Police of Finland emphasized that the accessible nature of online gambling can be “conducive to the rapid development of gambling-related problems.” Because of the conducive nature of online spaces, enforcing the prohibition on the marketing of illegal gambling is especially important, the announcement stated. The National Police Board Has Imposed Several Fines in 2026 Alone In 2026 alone, the National Police Board has issued 4 prohibition decisions and imposed 6 conditional fines for illegal marketing of gambling. The conditional fines in question have ranged from EUR 30,000 to 200,000 for individuals and from EUR 100,000 to EUR 1.2 million for companies. Wallinvirta noted that the payment of a conditional fine is imposed only when a company or individual has failed to comply within a specified time limit. The fines ordered to be paid by individuals in 2026 have been between EUR 20,000 and 100,000.