The government in Finland is preparing to liberalise online gambling in early 2027. In its draft proposal the Ministry of the Interior said it was targeting a 90% chanellisation rate for licensed operators.
The draft regulations proposed strict rules around marketing, including a ban on bonusing and affiliates, as well as influencer marketing.
In its response to the draft, Kuismanen said he supported market liberalisation, but added restrictions around marketing were “unjustifiably limiting” and could impact channelisation in the licensed market.
“The proposal contains several rather significant details that do not promote a well-functioning gambling environment,” he said.
Finland could learn from Denmark’s bonusing scheme?
He said a ban on bonusing would likely increase activity in the illegal market.
“If a ban [on bonusing] is imposed the level of channelisation will certainly decrease. Licensed operators would then have no chance to compete with unlicensed operators who attract players with aggressive bonus offers and other marketing.”
Kuismanen highlighted Denmark’s bonusing scheme as a successful model. It enables players to receive bonuses at certain intervals based on their habits, rather than unprompted or as an incentive to sign up to a site.
Other stakeholders have expressed similar concerns. Local lawyer Antti Koivula questioned whether a high channelisation rate can be achieved by prohibiting bonuses and traditional affiliates
“Marketing is a crucial tool for companies entering a new market to make customers aware of their brands and products,” he said on LinkedIn.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/regulation/finland-gambling-proposed-market-changes/
