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Swedish horserace betting operator ATG has asked the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KVV) to investigate current gambling monopoly Veikkaus over alleged anti-competitive conduct, in a move which could have impacts on both Finnish and EU competition law.
Mikael Bäcke, who oversees ATG's Finnish operators, said the company asked the KVV to “investigate whether Veikkaus, which currently holds a monopoly on gambling operations in Finland, is hindering the entry of new competitors ahead of the market opening for competition in 2027”.
“KKV has now announced that it will initiate an investigation, which, according to our legal advisors, is a positive step for our submission,” Bäcke told Vixio GamblingCompliance.
“Veikkaus should not use its monopoly position to position itself while undermining conditions for future competitors,” he said.
Hanna Kyrki, Veikkaus's general counsel, acknowledged that the company received a request for clarification from the KKV last Friday.
“We will get acquainted with it carefully and respond according to the given schedule,” Kyrki said, adding that “the allegations made by ATG to the FCCA about the abuse of our position are incomprehensible and completely false”.
“We categorically deny them,” Kyrki told Vixio.
ATG’s allegations revolve around five key points, including claiming that Veikkaus ended their 15-year partnership, which prevented Swedish customers from betting on Finnish horseracing.
It also alleges that Veikkaus has restricted the provision of Swedish horseracing content to Finnish customers and that the company has entered into agreements with TV production personnel that extend until 2030.
Additionally, over the past year, ATG claims Veikkaus has signed four- to six-year exclusive agreements with, among others, Viaplay, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and other content producers.
ATG has also flagged that Veikkaus plans to transfer over a million customers from the current monopoly company to a newly licensed Finnish company, which it claims “will give a significant competitive advantage as soon as the market opens, as other operators will have to start customer acquisition from scratch”.
Hannu Raatikainen, the head of research at KKV, explained that upon receiving the request from ATG, KKV is considering whether there is a reason to initiate an investigation and what form it might take in each case.
However, as the matter is “still in its early stages”, the KKV is not commenting on the content of the request for action, nor on the potential investigative actions or their likelihood.
“At this stage, it is still impossible to estimate the duration of the process, as it depends on several different factors and varies greatly from case to case,” Raatikainen told Vixio.
Legal Fight Ahead Of Liberalisation
The complaint submitted by ATG “raises serious concerns about how competition is being shaped ahead of the 2027 opening of Finland’s licensed gambling market”, according to Maarit Levoniemi, a lawyer for Finnish law firm Legal Gaming.
Levoniemi said: “At the heart of the allegations are Veikkaus’s long-term exclusivity arrangements, restrictions on access to racing content, and measures that, if accurate, may give the incumbent operator a structural head start before the market is even open.”
She explained that if the claims are validated, it could raise questions under both Finnish and EU competition law, “particularly regarding the use of dominant market position and barriers to entry”.
The fact that some of the agreements reportedly extend far beyond the current regulatory horizon also makes this an issue of more than just commercial significance, according to the Finnish lawyer.
“This development comes at a sensitive moment: the legislative proposal for the new licensing regime is now before parliamentary committees. As such, the complaint also increases political pressure to ensure that the transition is not only legally sound but also fair in practice. The long-term credibility of the reformed system hinges not just on what is written in the law, but on how incumbent operators behave in the lead-up to implementation,” she said.
Levoniemi said she would now be looking to the KKV to assess the merits of the complaint and provide guidance that ensures confidence in the process for all market participants.
