Session Title

Session 1-2-D: International Case Studies – Tourism and Policy

Presentation Type

Event

Location

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Start Date

28-5-2019 11:00 AM

End Date

28-5-2019 12:25 PM

Disciplines

Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation

Abstract

The EU Member States in general have striven to comply with Court of Justice of the European Union rulings while holding on to their national regulatory power as far as possible. The Finnish gambling policy is an example. The analysis is based on case law and policy documents. The results of the analysis point to the interpretation that Finland has successfully contained the EU’s politico-legal influence on its national gambling policy and to a great extent kept regulatory power in its own hands. It is suggested that the development of the Finnish gambling policy in relation to the EU from the early period of Finland’s accession to present day can be productively interpreted as having been formulated from national starting points but with ‘EU in mind’. Finland has managed to secure its national competence regarding its gambling policy. The national discretion has even increased and it is hard to perceive much EU influence in the decision to merge the three gambling monopoly operators into one in 2017. It is concluded that it seems likely that EU will in the future allow more national discretion for Member States.

Keywords

gambling policy, Finland, European Union, law, politics

Author Bios

Jani Selin is a senior researcher of gambling policy at The Alcohol, Drugs and Addictions Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland. Jani Selin holds a PhD in sociology and has studied the governance of addictions in contemporary societies. Recently Selin´s studies have focused on the politics of responsible gambling, prevention of gambling problems, the concentration of electronic gaming machines into vulnerable neighborhoods, and the regulation of gambling in the European Union.

Funding Sources

Jani Selin is funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Helsinki, Finland (appropriation under section 52 of the Lotteries Act). The Ministry did not have any involvement in any aspects of the research.

Competing Interests

None.

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May 28th, 11:00 AM May 28th, 12:25 PM

Maintenance of a gambling monopoly in the EU: Finland’s gambling policy as a case

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

The EU Member States in general have striven to comply with Court of Justice of the European Union rulings while holding on to their national regulatory power as far as possible. The Finnish gambling policy is an example. The analysis is based on case law and policy documents. The results of the analysis point to the interpretation that Finland has successfully contained the EU’s politico-legal influence on its national gambling policy and to a great extent kept regulatory power in its own hands. It is suggested that the development of the Finnish gambling policy in relation to the EU from the early period of Finland’s accession to present day can be productively interpreted as having been formulated from national starting points but with ‘EU in mind’. Finland has managed to secure its national competence regarding its gambling policy. The national discretion has even increased and it is hard to perceive much EU influence in the decision to merge the three gambling monopoly operators into one in 2017. It is concluded that it seems likely that EU will in the future allow more national discretion for Member States.