Finnish influencers face €30,000 fines for promoting unlicensed gambling

• Finnish National Police Board orders three social media influencers to pay €30,000 each for illegal gambling marketing
• Enforcement targets content creators promoting foreign gambling operators on platforms like Twitch and Kick
• Helsinki Administrative Court upholds bans, ruling that Finnish-language content constitutes targeted marketing regardless of broadcaster location
• Actions part of broader crackdown ahead of Finland’s gambling reform expected in 2027
• Only state-controlled Veikkaus holds exclusive rights to promote gambling in Finland

Finnish authorities have imposed substantial financial penalties on social media influencers who violated the country’s gambling laws by promoting unlicensed operators to their followers.

The National Police Board has ordered three influencers to pay fines of €30,000 each for breaching the Lotteries Act.

The enforcement actions target content creators who collaborated with foreign gambling companies and broadcast from abroad, mistakenly believing Finnish gambling laws would not apply to their activities.

The influencers were promoting gambling across various platforms, particularly Twitch and Kick, directing Finnish audiences to international gambling sites.

Legal framework upheld by courts

The Helsinki Administrative Court has consistently supported the National Police Board’s enforcement measures, rejecting appeals from banned influencers.

In a significant ruling from March 2025, the court found displaying gambling website logos, sharing affiliate links, and livestreaming gambling services other than those of state-controlled Veikkaus constituted “indirect marketing of gambling”.

The court emphasised that marketing conducted in Finnish language is considered targeted at Finland and Finnish audiences specifically, regardless of where the influencer operates from, according to the official police statement.

Under Finnish law, only Veikkaus holds the exclusive right to promote gambling on the Finnish mainland. The National Police Board’s enforcement division noted that the influencers’ activities violated this monopoly by functioning as affiliate marketing aimed at directing Finnish players to international gambling sites.

Wider enforcement campaign shows results

The crackdown forms part of Finland’s broader efforts to combat illegal gambling advertising. According to police reports, their awareness campaign has resulted in a 33% increase in citizen reports of illegal gambling marketing.

Two prominent social media personalities were prohibited from advertising gambling within Finland following investigations in May 2025, with one ban taking effect in June while another remains paused pending a legal challenge at the Administrative Court.

Reform on the horizon

Finland is currently preparing comprehensive gambling reform that would introduce a partial licensing system for betting and online casino games, expected to launch in 2027. However, the proposed legislation includes controversial provisions that would ban affiliate marketing entirely, drawing criticism from industry observers.

The enforcement actions demonstrate Finland’s commitment to maintaining strict control over gambling marketing until the new regulatory framework takes effect. Authorities continue to impose substantial fines to deter influencers from bypassing existing regulations whilst the country transitions towards its reformed gambling landscape.

The cases highlight the global reach of national gambling laws in the digital age, where content creators operating internationally can still face domestic penalties for targeting local audiences through their native language content.