A recent survey shows that Finnish lawmakers, gambling operators need to do more to protect gamblers
The difficulties surrounding problem gambling and those affected by problem gambling behavior have deepened in Finland over the past several years, a survey commissioned by the nation’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health shows.
The survey was carried out to measure the effects of the merger of Finland’s three state-run gambling operators into a single entity. As many as 2,624 people aged 18 or over were interviewed for the purposes of the survey. As mentioned above, it was commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and conducted by the Institute for Health and Welfare together with Statistic Finland, Helsinki University, and problem gambling prevention group Peliklinikka.
As cited by Finnish media outlet Yle, the survey found that while the number of male problem gamblers has declined in the country in recent years, the difficulties surrounding serious problem gamblers and gambling addicts have deepened.
In 2017, horse betting operator Fintoto, casino and gaming machine operator RAY, and national lottery operator Veikkaus merged into a single operation. The state-owned Veikkaus (that is, the merged entity) is the only business authorized to provide gambling services in the Scandinavian nation.
Finnish lawmakers and other interested parties hoped that the merger would heal some of the damage done by excessive gambling.
The Merger Has Not Helped the Sector
Social scientist Matilda Hellman told Yle that “it was definitely optimistic to think that something would have changed.” She further noted that the merger of the three operations does not seem to have helped the sector that much.
According to the results of the survey, the situation for people affected by their excessive gambling habits has worsened and intensified over the past two years. One of the reasons behind this trend is the fact that more and more people opt to stay home and gamble online, instead of heading to local supermarkets, bars, and casinos, where they can gamble on regulated machines.
Ms. Hellman said that it is still too early to determine how the country’s gambling monopoly arrangement has and will affect the industry as it has been in place for two years only. The scholar pointed out that appetite for gambling is big in Finland and competent parties need to figure out how to tackle the issue politically.
The survey showed a strong public trust into Finland’s gambling monopoly system, although it has faced some criticism for making it too easy to gamble. Ms. Hellman said that citizens have recently started an initiative that urges Veikkaus to remove gambling machines from grocery stores and petrol stations.
This is not the first time the state-run monopoly is approached with calls to banish the devices from supermarkets. In 2017, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare reached out to then newly-merged operation with a similar demand.
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