The country of Finland currently has a monopoly when it comes to online gambling. Finland has blocked all external online casinos from conducted business in their country and this has become a problem with the European Commission. Finland’s government has made another decision that vastly effects the free trade agreements of the EU.

Legislatures in Finland have now outlawed the marketing of unlicensed online gambling sites in their country. Anyone who defies the new law could see prison time for the internet gaming operators, media and advertising companies who help with the websites.

The state owned gambling operator, Veikkas, is the only operator allowed in Finland as it has the only license. To quell the issues from the EU, Finland legislatures have stated the monopoly was created to control gambling problems. Even so, the EU has stated that the new laws created by Finland clearly break the EU Treaty.

A change may be coming soon as the European Gaming and Betting Association has been pushing for the European Union to make a move on the Country. The EGBA states that two years is long enough and the EU should have moved to action all ready.








- 2009-02-18