Betsson Subsidiary Receives Finland Police Board Prohibition Order and Conditional Fine

According to a news release published by the National Police Board of Finland, Betsson subsidiary BML Group Ltd. has received a prohibition order and a conditional punishment of €2.4 million for unlawful marketing in the Finnish market.

According to the announcement, an investigation indicated that Betsson, through BML, was actively targeting Mainland Finland with advertisements for its online gaming products and services. Several options to adjust the company's marketing were provided to it during the examination in order to comply with local casino advertising prohibitions. Despite some minor alterations, the focus on Finnish customers remained consistent throughout.

The National Police Board considered these adjustments while establishing the level of the financial punishment. The board also directed the company to discontinue any direct or indirect marketing efforts aimed at enticing Finnish consumers to gamble on its websites. This includes a prohibition on utilising any Finnish celebrities in advertisements or using website content, podcasts, or video podcasts targeting Finland to promote Betsson's gambling products and services.

This prohibition also applies to websites not owned by BML Group, such as affiliate marketing websites.

The National Police Board has warned BML that it must remove any content or marketing material that promotes its goods that is still available online. When the prohibition goes into effect on June 3rd, 2023, the company will also be included to the list of payment blocks. If BML has not made the necessary improvements as indicated by the board at that moment, it must pay the full penalties.

The National Police Board has issued a restriction order accompanying a conditional fine for the first time in its history. It is also the board's largest fine of its kind.

By fLEXI tEAM