No Lotteries Or Slots For Under 18 Finns

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New law will boost underage limit upward by three years

Finland's Minister for Social Affairs and Health is about to tighten up on underage gambling in the northern European country, according to a report in the publication Helsingin Sanomat this week.

New legislation proposed by the Minister seeks to absolutely prohibit those younger than 18 years old from gambling of any sort - including slot machines and lottery games.

The proposal has been referred to the Ministry of the Interior for inclusion in new laws currently being drafted.

Government spokesman Ismo Tuominen commented that this is the first time that the ministry has made an official proposal to raise the age limit, which currently stands at 15 years.

"The ministry feels that gambling entails risks that would make a higher age limit appropriate, with no exceptions for any type of game," he said.

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芬兰准备颁布新的管理办法，禁止低于18周岁的芬兰人参与任何形式的博彩活动，包括老虎机游戏和彩票等。目前只要有15周岁就可以玩博彩。

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Fickle Finns

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 mgowanbo.cc

Last week there was talk of bans and reimbursing losing players....this week the suggestion is a state poker operation!

Finnish online gambling policies can be confusing at times, as witnessed by this week's call by Stefan Wallin, Finland's culture and sport minister, that the government should run an online poker service in order to woo punters away from foreign poker sites.

Newsroom Finland reports that the minister would be satisfied if the Slot Machine Association (Ray) or Veikkaus, the state's lottery and betting monopoly, assumed the responsibility for regulating online poker, and that the resulting revenue increase could be spent to fund public services and fight gambling addiction.

"It is difficult to halt the rise in the popularity of online poker. It would be better to offer players a legal and responsible alternative," Wallin said. "Responsibility would mean setting an 18 age limit and requiring players to identify themselves."

The minister seems to have the state monopoly model used by Sweden in mind, emphasising that Svenska Spel, the Swedish state-owned lottery and gaming group, had been authorised to provide poker services over the internet, and the initiative had been very successful.

Last week  the Finns were studying a report from a university working group commissioned by Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, proposing that the country’s Lotteries Act be strengthened to combat underage gambling and that online games be equipped with identification devices. Evocative gambling advertisements were also suggested as targets for state restriction, together with the innovative suggestion that losing players could reclaim their deposits in "illegal" gambling cases.

On a per capita basis, Finns come in at fourth place in the world for gambling expenditure. Currently there is little restriction on Finns engaging in online games.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008 mgowanbo.cc

RAY chief says organisation has the technical capacity to operate online poker.

Comments earlier this week by Stefan Wallin, Finland's culture and sport minister that the government should run an online poker service in order to woo punters away from foreign poker sites have met with a mixed response.

Wallin's counterpart in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Kari Paaso, promptly dismissed the suggestion on Tuesday, saying: "Domestic games would simply make everything even easier for gaming addicts. We will calmly follow the situation", he added.

However RAY communications director Matti Hokkanen said: "RAY, just like the government, has set the maintaining of this exclusive right in Finland as an important goal. Our estimate is that in the present unregulated and fast-moving environment, the start of Internet casino activities would mean a threat of a certain degree to RAY’s monopoly."

At present, RAY has exclusive rights to slot machine and casino activities in Finland.

Hokkanen emphasised that RAY has the technical capacity to facilitate online poker. "Launching the operation would not be without complications, however, as it would undoubtedly add to some individuals’ gambling problems", Hokkanen added.

Restrictions for a Finnish operator could not be significantly tighter compared with the overseas operators. Otherwise players would simply choose a foreign gaming site, he said.
     
According to Veikkaus Oy communications director Ilkka Juva, Veikkaus also has the technical expertise to set up online poker. "It is not an impossible idea at all, should the government and the gaming license holders so agree. We have plenty of technical and business experience in such matters", Juva asserted.