Online Poker in Finland – A Media PerspectiveAs The Government Prepares Its Online Poker Site, The Media Faces Unrealistic and Unfair Restrictions Says Timo Korppi of Card Player Finland |
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At the beginning of 2010 the Finnish government announced its plan to open a state-run poker room, much like Svenska Spel did in Sweden several years ago.
In May this year Israel’s Playtech won the contract to provide software and services for the new business.
However, many media companies in the country are up in arms as competition faces strangulation and here, Timo Korppi of Card Player Finland, explains why the government is getting it wrong.
“The Finnish parliament rubber stamped the new gaming law late in June without a proper parliamentary discussion," explained Korppi.
“The hasty decision was aimed at securing the state gaming monopoly an uncontested position in the local gaming market, when the monopoly (RAY) opens its the poker and casino games portal Ray.fi during the autumn.
“In practical terms online poker and casino businesses are now banned from advertising or promoting their services in media published or aired in Finland by locally owned companies.
“All CardPlayer associated titles, Pokeri, CardPlayer Finland and PokerMagazine are continuing from another EU country, Estonia, from where they are imported to Finland as foreign publications, so are not banned under the new gaming law.
“In total about 350 foreign publications, on sale in Finnish newsstands, run gaming advertising. They are not affected by the new gaming law.
“The flow of poker-related information has thus been secured in Finland for a hungry readership, but the mainstream media in raging because they consider the new and controversial law as unfair and was made only to serve the needs of the local games monopoly.
“Indirectly it will also work for foreign publishing companies, well represented in the Finnish media market.
“In Sweden four years ago Svenska Spel, also a state gaming monopoly, started their online poker service which has been able to compete with international online companies.
“In Finland the legislators do not seem to believe this is possible locally, so they have decided to test ruling against free speech and moving information over state borders as a tool to secure the best interest of the state monopoly.”
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