Southeast Asia News Desk

(AsiaGameHub) –   Finland is nearing the 2027 launch of its regulated market, yet its choice to prohibit affiliate marketing prompts the question of what comes next.

While affiliates typically enjoy a strong symbiotic relationship with licensed operators in open European markets, Finnish authorities have opted to exclude them entirely from the new framework.

According to Antti Koivula, an iGaming Lawyer at Hippos ATG, the primary cause for this is a fundamental government misunderstanding about the nature of affiliates. He expressed this view during an SBC Affiliates Leaders Digital Day expert panel.

“The misunderstanding was quite broad. Essentially, the view was that affiliates were influencers aggressively marketing gambling to people, including vulnerable groups, as if they were all identical,” he stated. “That image is naturally very inaccurate.

“Numerous affiliates conduct their business with high responsibility and carry out significant responsible gambling work independently.

“Nevertheless, that false perception was evident. The chief reason for it, which is somewhat understandable, is that affiliate marketing in Finland was and remains illegal.”

Given that affiliates will remain excluded upon the market’s launch, it is crucial to have unambiguous rules to prevent confusion and to empower the regulator adequately to address possible violations.

Simon Vinzce, Head of Sustainable and Safer Gambling at Casino Guru, noted: “Under the new law, the regulator can be aided by being extremely explicit about what is permitted and what is prohibited.

“If you allow room for interpretation, then such websites could, for instance, argue they are not promoting but merely providing information.”

Although Koivula concurred with the need for a clear and transparent strategy, he remarked that Finland’s regulatory structure still has “a lot of room to be more precise.”

“The legislation is missing several key definitions, and further guidance is anticipated,” he continued.

“Ultimately, it all hinges on enforcement. Regrettably, I am not at all confident that Finnish enforcement will be at the required standard from the market’s opening; in fact, I believe the opposite.

“I am somewhat concerned the regulator has very limited tools to combat black market operations. Conversely, I have no doubt licensed operators will comply with the law.”

However, matters typically fall into place eventually, and Pablo Espuela, Head of Corporate Development at BeandDeal, is confident this will also occur in Finland.

“Over time, the regulator understands that channelisation is the priority, which leads it to focus on regulating other aspects initially overlooked.

“I am certain the regulator will begin to relax its stance once it recognises it is losing market share to these illegal affiliates,” Espuela concluded.

To view the complete panel discussion and learn who truly benefits from the affiliate ban, click here.

Interested in more stories like this? Visit the new SBC Media YouTube Channel, SBC’s central hub for multimedia content, where our team explores the major headlines from the sports betting, iGaming, affiliate, and payments sectors.