Regulation of unlicensed cross-border gambling in Finland and the Netherlands
Session Title
Session 3-1-C: Past, Present, and Future Issues in Gambling Policy
Presentation Type
Event
Location
Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Start Date
30-5-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
30-5-2019 10:25 AM
Disciplines
Comparative Politics | European Law | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies
Abstract
Finland and the Netherlands are both Member States of the European Union. They represent two different models of gambling regulation. According to Kingma, the models refer to different attitudes and concerns towards gambling in different time frames. We argue that Finland fits the “alibi model” of gambling regulation, whereas the Netherlands aligns with the “risk model”. Both countries have decided to restrict the cross-border movement of gambling services, even though Finland has opted for a monopoly system and the Netherlands is heading towards a licensing system. For several years, Finnish gambling policy has focused on channeling demand towards domestic online gambling sites, which have been represented as more secure than foreign online gambling sites. The Netherlands seeks to channel 80 percent of demand to locally licensed online operators. Both Finland and the Netherlands seek the same objective: to protect consumers from the excesses of gambling in part by reducing the presence of unlicensed operators in their respective national markets. The aim of our presentation is to compare the offer of unlicensed cross-border gambling in both countries, the challenges these two countries have encountered while protecting the national gambling market, and the reasons why Finland and the Netherlands have decided to opt for different regulatory systems in the future.
The presentation is based on our forthcoming article “Online Gambling, Regulation, and Risks: A Comparison of Gambling Policies in Finland and the Netherlands” (Journal of Law and Social Policy”
Keywords
Unlicensed gambling operation, gambling policy, regulation, European Union, Finland, the Netherlands
Funding Sources
Dr. Järvinen-Tassopoulos' research is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (Lotteries Act 52§). The Ministry has no involvement in any aspects of the research.
Competing Interests
None.
Regulation of unlicensed cross-border gambling in Finland and the Netherlands
Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Finland and the Netherlands are both Member States of the European Union. They represent two different models of gambling regulation. According to Kingma, the models refer to different attitudes and concerns towards gambling in different time frames. We argue that Finland fits the “alibi model” of gambling regulation, whereas the Netherlands aligns with the “risk model”. Both countries have decided to restrict the cross-border movement of gambling services, even though Finland has opted for a monopoly system and the Netherlands is heading towards a licensing system. For several years, Finnish gambling policy has focused on channeling demand towards domestic online gambling sites, which have been represented as more secure than foreign online gambling sites. The Netherlands seeks to channel 80 percent of demand to locally licensed online operators. Both Finland and the Netherlands seek the same objective: to protect consumers from the excesses of gambling in part by reducing the presence of unlicensed operators in their respective national markets. The aim of our presentation is to compare the offer of unlicensed cross-border gambling in both countries, the challenges these two countries have encountered while protecting the national gambling market, and the reasons why Finland and the Netherlands have decided to opt for different regulatory systems in the future.
The presentation is based on our forthcoming article “Online Gambling, Regulation, and Risks: A Comparison of Gambling Policies in Finland and the Netherlands” (Journal of Law and Social Policy”