Summary
- Finland takes decisive action against three influencers for endorsing gambling products.
- Faced with one particularly severe violation, the police imposed a hefty €30,000 fine and warned others to immediately halt their promotional activities.
- Streamers have been leveraging the same platforms, Kick and Twitch, to promote their gambling products.
Finland's National Police Board is cracking down on content creators and influencers who they believe have unlawfully promoted gambling products within the country. By targeting these individuals, the NPB aims to steer people away from illicit brands and protect the integrity of legal gambling practices.
NPB warns social media influencers to stop promoting gambling in the country
The NPB has taken a firm stance against two social media influencers, demanding they halt the promotion of what they classify as illegal gambling. If these individuals continue to ignore the agency's warning, they are each facing a hefty fine of €30,000. In another instance, a third influencer has already felt the sting of a €30,000 penalty after defying a cease-and-desist order. According to the NPB, all three influencers have been using platforms like Twitch and Kick to endorse these gambling activities. It's not just a fleeting issue. The NPB highlights that these promotional efforts have been persistent and deliberate. Tomi Sallinen, a Senior Adviser, clarified: “There seems to be a widespread misunderstanding that promoting gambling from outside Finland is permissible in our country. That's simply not true. Only Veikkaus Oy is authorized to market gambling within mainland Finland.” The influencers in question have been endorsing foreign gambling companies, and their marketing efforts were launched from outside Finnish borders, as the police noted. The police also pointed out that these influencers were tied into affiliate partnerships, boosting the exposure of illegal gambling in Finland, which is why action was deemed necessary.
