Finnish Police Take Action Against Social Media Stars Promoting Gambling

Finland’s National Police Board (NPB) has stepped in again to stop social media personalities from promoting gambling. They have handed out new bans and slapped hefty fines on offenders.

Two Social Media Stars Face €30K Penalties

In May, the police banned two influencers from advertising gambling in Finland. This came after investigations showed their content broke the country’s Lotteries Act. One ban started in June, but the other is on hold because the influencer has taken the case to the Administrative Court.

Officials decided that these people could make money by keeping up their marketing work. This led the NPB to back up the orders with possible fines of EUR 30,000 ($34,958) for each person. If the influencers ignore the rules and keep posting content about gambling for Finnish viewers, they will have to pay these fines.

These bans do not just stop future ads. They also make the influencers take down any old posts that promote gambling. The rules cover both direct support and indirect marketing, like using affiliate links.

On top of these instances, one influencer who had already faced a ban earlier this year was caught ignoring the restrictions and kept promoting foreign gambling operators. The NPB reacted by demanding payment of a suspended EUR 30,000 ($34,958) fine. They issued the enforcement notice in July, and since no one appealed within the legal timeframe, the fine is now due.

Social Media Stars Misjudge Finnish Law in Cross-Border Gambling Promotions

Officials pointed out that the gambling promotions spread across several platforms, with Twitch and Kick standing out as the main channels. The influencers had teamed up with non-Finnish gambling companies and carried out their activities from outside Finland, thinking this made Finnish law not apply to them.

Senior Adviser Tomi Sallinen from the NPB pointed out that people had the wrong idea. He made it clear that Veikkaus Oy, the state-owned gaming company, can market gambling in mainland Finland.

The police board said that when influencers teamed up with gambling companies, it was like affiliate marketing. This was meant to get Finnish players to use international gambling websites. By directing people to these services, the influencers were considered to have an impact on the exposure of gambling activities in Finland and to promote companies that serve as middlemen for betting and casino games.

The recent actions show the NPB’s resolve to step up enforcement against unlawful gambling promotions. With multiple cases popping up in the past few years, officials indicated that they plan to keep using financial penalties to discourage influencers who try to find ways around the rules to reach Finnish audiences.