In a significant move, the National Police Board of Finland has prohibited BML Group Ltd., a subsidiary of Betsson AB, from marketing its gambling services in the country. The decision, made on 7th April 2023, comes after the company was found to be in violation of the Finnish Lotteries Act. As part of the enforcement, a conditional fine of €2.4 million has been imposed on BML Group Ltd.
The National Police Board’s decision stems from the company’s persistent marketing targeting Mainland Finland across various channels for an extended period, despite multiple warnings and opportunities to rectify its actions. Although some changes were made to the marketing channels used during the hearing process, BML Group Ltd. continued to focus its efforts on attracting Finnish customers.
Considering the company’s ongoing illegal activities and its substantial financial interest in continuing such actions, the National Police Board deemed it necessary to impose the conditional fine. However, the Board did take into account the measures undertaken by the company to reduce marketing, which served as a mitigating factor in determining the fine amount.
The prohibition issued by the National Police Board specifically targets BML Group Ltd.’s websites, prohibiting any materials that directly or indirectly promote the sales of gambling services in Mainland Finland. This includes marketing communications aimed at Finnish consumers, the use of Finnish celebrities in gambling service campaigns, podcasts and video podcasts targeted at Mainland Finland, and articles that promote gambling services in the country.
Furthermore, the prohibition extends to marketing BML Group Ltd.’s services on external websites, provided there are financial benefits involved for the company or its representatives.
To comply with the prohibition, BML Group Ltd. must immediately cease publishing new sales promotion materials targeting Mainland Finland on its gambling websites, remove all previously published marketing materials, and refrain from any future marketing on external websites.
Once the prohibition takes effect, BML Group Ltd. will be added to the list of payment blocks maintained by the National Police Board. For further details and information on payment transactions blocking, interested parties can visit the poliisi.fi website at https://poliisi.fi/en/blocking-payment-transactions.
It is crucial for BML Group Ltd. to adhere to the prohibition. Failure to comply will result in the National Police Board taking further action to enforce the imposed conditional fine.
The decision will officially take effect on 3rd June 2023, and BML Group Ltd. has the option to file an appeal against the decision by the same date.