New gambling reforms for Finland will overhaul advertising, but the Finnish are split on how it should be implemented.
A new survey, commissioned by Turtlebet, has outlined that over half of Finns actually consider gambling companies to be the best way to support Finnish sports – and most would prefer a model in which tax revenue from the the industry is ring-fenced directly for sports.
According to the survey, Finns are aware of incoming gambling reforms and have a clear preference on the regulation’s impact on sports funding. Roughly 80% of men and 54% of women have heard about the reforms – set to take effect in 2027.
The incoming reforms will see operator Veikkaus retain exclusive rights to in product categories like scratch cards, lotteries, and certain land-based games. Regulations look to use the licensed market to bring in revenue without risking harm.
Under the new framework, licence holders (rather than just Veikkaus) will be permitted to market gambling services, within restrictions. The policy aims to let advertisers communicate clearly about licensed services without excessive exposure or targeting vulnerable groups.
The research surveyed 1,000 Finnish residents between the ages of 18 to 65. The survey was conducted by Turtlebet in collaboration with research firm Bilendi to investigate Finnish attitudes towards incoming gambling regulations.
Over half (51.2%) of respondents think sponsorships by gambling companies are the most effective way to source funds for sports organisations – and only 19% think public funds should be the main source of sports funding.
The previous funding model, which the Finnish government owned betting company, Veikkaus’s, revenue was given to sports organisations was also a popular choice – supported by 29% of respondents. Although almost a third responded with “I don’t know”, and just over 9% believe a different alternative model would be better suited.
Almost half of respondents (48%) believe that there shouldn’t be restrictions on the visibility of betting operator’s logos or graphics when they sponsor sports – only a third (29%) support tighter restrictions.
