Submission Title

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

Author Bios

Dr. Johanna Järvinen-Tassopoulos is senior researcher at the National Institute for Health and Welfare and Adjunct Professor of Social Policy at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her research focuses on societal changes, gambling policies and regulation in the European Union, gender and problem gambling, and gambling in populations of migrant background.

Dr. Alan Littler, Kalff Katz & Franssen attorneys at law, Amsterdam, 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.

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May 30th, 9:00 AM May 30th, 10:25 AM

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”