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Finnish exclusive rights holder Veikkaus has been warned that it faces a potential fine of €2.9m for marketing on TV programmes that may appeal to people under the age of 18 and handed a three-month advertising ban.
Veikkaus sales and marketing director Anu Kytö said: “We are very sorry that, despite our joint development measures, our advertising has been seen in the advertising breaks of programmes aimed at minors due to human error.”
An advert for Veikkaus appeared during a break for Riku Haikara, a children's animated movie shown on the MTV channel.
Veikkaus confirmed to Vixio GamblingCompliance that it will continue discussions with the Police Board, which supervises gambling in the country, and “will act according to the instructions we receive from them”.
The monopoly rights holder is also banned from advertising for three months starting on December 10, according to its update on November 18.
It follows on from the Police Board sending a request for clarification from Veikkaus in May 2024 about its advertising in connection with television programmes that are also watched by minors.
Veikkaus claims it responded to the request and adjusted its operations in cooperation with the Police Board; however, in July 2024 it admitted it “wrongly placed advertisement”.
The Police Board has now "included new programmes aimed at adults, but may also be of interest to minors. Popular Saturday night entertainment programmes are mentioned as examples" of shows now no longer allowed to include gambling adverts.
Kytö believes clarity is needed so that Veikkaus knows how to “act correctly” as “it seems that the Police Board may interpret the matter in a new and broader way”.
The company said it buys advertising for a target group of people aged 25 and older, and a media company and television channel then places its ads based on viewer profiles, adding that the Police Board reviewed these instructions.
MTV commercial director Sauli Asikainen explained: “Veikkaus has been buying TV advertising from us for years, with an age distribution set for the purchase: more than 70 percent of the programme's viewers must be adults.”
"This is a jointly agreed model that has been valid for years and is known to the authorities. Now we are waiting for possible new instructions.”
