Most of Finland’s political parties believe that tighter regulations on slot machines need to be introduced, according to a survey conducted by local news outlet Yle.
Certain restrictions on the machines are already on their way, but a citizens’ initiative that has already garnered support from more than 28,000 people calls for the number of the devices to be significantly reduced and those to be relocated to designated gaming halls.
Yle has conducted its survey shortly after the Finnish gambling monopoly, Veikkaus, faced massive backlash for its advertising practices. The company was slammed for a controversial advertising campaign that involved therapists encouraging frequent gamblers to indulge their habit. Veikkaus pulled the questionable ads and launched a probe into its advertising activities, the results from which are slated to be released in late September.
The company also announced that it would set up an internal ethics council that will oversee its work relating to the provision of gambling services in a socially responsible manner.
Yle’s Survey
Yle reported today that Finland’s political parties believe tighter restrictions need to be introduced on the way slot machines are operated on the territory of the country. Veikkaus is the only authorized operator of gambling services in Finland. Under Finnish law, the operator is allowed to operate up to 18,600 slot machines around the country. It currently manages around 18,500 devices.
Under recently introduced requirements, by 2022, Finnish gamblers will be required to digitally identify themselves to prove that they are of legal age to gamble money on slot machines. All parties except Finns Party told Yle that they agree the 2022 deadline should be moved forward in order for the country to be able to better monitor and crack down on underage gambling.
Finland’s Minister of Local Government and Ownership Steering Sirpa Paatero from the Social Democratic Party told local media that she would meet with Veikkaus this fall and would work with the gambling monopoly to “figure out how to technically implement this ID reform” earlier than originally projected.
The gambling monopoly projects that it would lose anywhere between €17 million and €170 million as a result from the new ID rule.
Relocating and Reducing Slot Machines
Yle asked the Finnish parties whether they would support an effort for the relocation of slot machines at shops and kiosks to dedicated gambling halls. The Green Party, the Left Alliance, and the Christian Democrats said that they would support such relocation. The unregistered Movement Now political group also spoke in favor of the removal of the devices from public spaces such as shops and bars.
A citizens’ initiative calling for gambling machines to be relocated to dedicated arcades has gathered more than 28,000 signatures so far.
Asked whether the number of machines should be reduced, five of the interviewed parties declined to comment on the appropriate number of devices. Paavo Arhinmäki, the Chair of the Left parliamentary group, said that low-income earners represent the largest group of slot machine players and the ones that lose the most money. According to the politician, the government has to “seriously consider reducing the number of these games and where they should be placed.”
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