Finland Closely Watching Gambling Marketing during World Rally Championship
The National Police Board in Finland is keeping a close watch on gambling marketing practices as the World Rally Championship (WRC) event and its side events begin.
The National Police Board is expecting that gambling service providers that are not part of the Finnish system may attempt to take advantage of the event to market themselves. Event organizers have been notified of the surveillance campaign and have been instructed to communicate the information to teams, drivers, and other organizers. Law enforcement will be keeping an eye out for any potential marketing of gambling services during the festivities.
Exclusive Gambling Rights in Finland
In mainland Finland, Veikkaus Oy holds the sole right to offer and advertise gambling services. The primary purpose of this gaming monopoly is to control and prevent criminal activities related to gambling, as well as to minimize the detrimental financial, social, and health impacts that gambling may cause.
Senior Adviser Johanna Syväterä of the National Police Board emphasized that any marketing content that breaches the Finnish Lotteries Act must be concealed or removed, including logos of gambling providers outside the Finnish exclusive rights system.
Attempts to market the brands of international gambling service providers and their games may appear during the event, in the form of logos printed on marketing materials. Moreover, marketing may appear along the rally route, on competitors’ clothing and fan merchandise, on video screens and light panels, in the background screens for interviews, and brochures, stickers and other giveaways.
Marketing Methods and Consequences
Besides direct and indirect advertising, marketing includes various sales promotion activities, such as sponsorship, in which the name or identifier of the gambling service provider is visible.
The National Police Board can impose an administrative fine for deliberate infractions of the gambling services marketing ban. For businesses, fines can range from €10,000 to €5,000,000, while for individuals, they range from €500 to €40,000.
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