Gambling Reform | A warning to Finns from the betting boss – “Are they just waiting to get money from us?”

Gambling reform is progressing in Finland in a way that will revolutionize the betting market in the next few years. The goal of the government program is for Finland to transition from Veikkaus’ monopoly to a license system at the beginning of 2026.

Thanks to it, foreign gaming companies that obtain a license are also allowed to conduct and market their business in Finland under supervision.

The CEO of Kindred Group, which operates Unibet, is closely monitoring the situation Nils Andén. He told the company’s golf event in Tallinn that Finland is an attractive investment destination for the company.

“We definitely intend to participate in sponsorship in Finland. We do so in every market where it is allowed to invest in that way. The product we offer is so strongly connected to sports that we want to create a positive association between us and sports,” Andén explains.

in Sweden Unibet is particularly visible as a supporter of football. In Denmark, the company sponsors e.g. the country’s biggest club, FC Copenhagen.

At the same time, however, Andén warns that the company’s cash taps will not be opened for nothing. It is therefore pointless for Finnish sports leagues or clubs to expect that the opening of the betting market will automatically lead them to a new income category.

“The size of the market is something that you always have to balance with. Finnish series are not as big, and the Finnish market is not as big (as in Sweden). We’re certainly doing something in Finland, but it’s also largely about how good partners our partners (leagues, events, clubs) are for us. Do they understand that we also want something from the partnership, or do they just expect to get money from us.”

When the market opens up, would it be particularly attractive to grab the naming rights of the football league known as the Veikkausliiga in Finland, for whatever reason?

“Hey! Nooh, let’s just say that we always have a friendly competition with others. On a case-by-case basis, you always have to think about which projects make sense, and with whom you should cooperate.”

From your company’s point of view, which species would be particularly attractive in Finland?

“We do a lot of football cooperation in our other markets, not so much hockey. Ice hockey is super interesting from our point of view. In Finland, it is the clear number one sport. “

“We also do a lot of event cooperation, from a Nordic perspective, for example in large skiing events. We know how much they interest Finns. And Finland has it bobollwhat is it? That’s your baseball. Fnnish baseball!”

And how can Finnish sports benefit from the opening of the betting market, other than direct financial support?

“I hope so in many ways. We have a lot of experience in sponsor cooperation with different parties. During that time, we have learned that we are able to open up a wider group of sponsors to our partners. We have a lot of experience in organizing successful cooperation patterns. But a lot depends on how professional the parties are” with whom we would cooperate.

Several dozen different license applicants are expected to enter the Finnish market. Part of the reason for wanting to switch to a license system is that Veikkaus’ share of online gaming is estimated to be only around 50 percent.

It is estimated that the Finnish government will receive annual income of over one hundred million euros with the help of the license system – part in taxes and part in license fees.

The setting for the celebrity-driven event in Tallinn was spectacular. Picture: Paula Kaskimaa / IS

Andén praises the ongoing legal preparation in Finland as a well-organized process. There are many good things in the project, but Andén brings up again something he has talked about before.

There are clear differences in the licensing systems, for example, in the Swedish and Danish models. One of them is offering incentives to already registered customers.

In Denmark, e.g. offer bonuses and benefits to existing customers. In the Swedish model, they may only be offered to new customers. The Swedish model is reportedly being adopted in Finland as well.

“Denmark has very clear guidelines and limits on what can be offered. It helps to engage customers, which also means that we are better able to prevent the disadvantages of gambling. For example, we can immediately see if a player starts to increase his normal amount of games in an unusual way. We are able to intervene,” Andén explains.

Andén encourages Finland’s decision-makers to think about it again.

Even under Veikkaus’ monopoly as it is now, Finns can quickly and easily find competitors to play with. Since the game companies do not share information about the players’ gaming behavior, it is more difficult to intervene in problem gambling if the customer “shops around” for offers.

“If, on the other hand, you can only offer benefits to new customers, it is in the customer’s interest to always change the game provider according to the offers. It also directs a lot of game traffic to unlicensed services. We are unable to help problem gamblers, and on the other hand, from the state’s point of view, money is also diverted away from the taxable market.”