BML Group, a subsidiary of Betsson AB, was fined €2.4 million and banned from marketing its gambling services in Finland after the country’s National Police Board ruled that the company violated the Finnish Lottery Act.
According to the Board, the Betsson subsidiary illegally targeted players in mainland Finland with its marketing efforts across various channels and media for an “extensive” period.
Finland’s Lottery Act states that only Veikkaus, the country’s gaming monopoly, is allowed to market its gaming offering to Finnish consumers.
The Council said the group had several opportunities to give its version of events and change activities to comply with the law. During the hearing process, BML Group presented some changes it had made to marketing, but the Board said targeting Finnish players continued.
“The National Police Board has estimated that the BML has a significant financial interest in continuing activities and has found that illegal activities have continued for a long time, regardless of the Board’s past control measures,” the Board alleged.
“The National Police Council analyzed the measures taken by the company to reduce marketing, and they were considered mitigating in determining the amount of the conditional fine”.
Prohibition of marketing the subsidiary of Betsson AB
The marketing ban applies to any material on the Betsson BML website that directly or indirectly promotes the sale of gaming services in mainland Finland.
It also covers any communication aimed at Finnish consumers, featuring Finnish celebrities in a consumer-appealing campaign, podcasts targeting mainland Finland, and articles published with the aim of promoting gaming services in Finland.
In addition, the veto applies to the marketing of BML Group services on sites that are not owned and managed by the group.
To comply with the ban, the group must refrain from posting new sales promotion materials targeting mainland Finland on its gaming websites, remove all previously published sales promotion materials, and refrain from marketing on other websites.
As part of the decision, the Betsson subsidiary will also be added to the list of payment blocks administered by the National Police Council when the ban takes effect on 3 June.
“If BML Group continues to target its marketing of gaming services in mainland Finland despite the ban, the Board will take steps to enforce the imposed conditional fine,” the Board added.
