Veikkaus, Finland’s gambling monopoly, has landed in hot water over controversial ads that feature therapists urging gamblers to indulge their habit, local news outlet Yle reports.
The company said Tuesday that it has decided to suspend temporarily the ads that were aired on commercial radio channels after facing massive public outcry.
The questionable ads feature characters who ask a therapist whether they should continue to gamble. The therapist tells them that their cravings are acceptable and they should indulge their habit by going to the race track or by visiting Veikkaus’ website.
The radio advertising campaign was supposed to run during this year’s edition of the royal races, an annual harness racing championship. The event ends this coming Sunday.
Veikkaus Decides to Shelve the Ads
Veikkaus’ controversial campaign faced massive public backlash. As a result, the operator said in a statement released Tuesday that it has decided to suspend the ads temporarily. Veikkaus’ CEO, Olli Sarekoski, explained that the ads would be discontinued this week until the end of September.
Mr. Sarekoski went on to say that they have made mistakes and that “some of the ads have not complied with the company’s agreed marketing principles.”
Veikkaus has launched an investigation into the matter and said it would thoroughly review its marketing policies and implement necessary changes in order to avoid any future issues with its advertising campaigns.
Under Finnish gambling laws, Veikkaus is the only operator authorized to provide gambling services on the territory of Finland. The state-run business was formed in 2017 through the merger of the nation’s gaming machine operator RAY, lottery operator Veikkaus, and horse racing operator Fintoto.
Veikkaus is also the only gambling operator that is authorized to advertise its offering across Finnish media. According to the nation’s Gambling Administration, the agency that supervises the local gambling industry, Veikkaus’ ads should not focus on increasing the operator’s profits, but to channel demand for its products. In other words, Finnish gamblers should be encouraged to opt for Veikkaus rather than visit international gaming and betting websites.
Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Ads
Earlier this year, Finland’s National Police Board and the nation’s Transport and Communications Authority said that they would step up their efforts to crack down on TV and radio ads of unauthorized gambling operators.
The two agencies said that their crackdown would affect not only unlicensed gambling operations but also radio and TV channels that air ads of these operations as they might have their licenses revoked if they are caught to have repeatedly violated gambling advertising regulations.
The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos (THL), said earlier this year that Veikkaus should bring its advertising practices in line with health policy communications and that measures restricting the operator’s marketing activities should be introduced. With annual marketing budget of €50 million, Veikkaus is among Finland’s biggest advertisers.
According to the Health Institute, the regulations governing gambling ads in Finland should be revised, and such ads should be treated in the same manner as the ones promoting alcohol and tobacco products, that is to say products that carry high risks of harming consumers.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the day’s top casino news stories.
