Swedish gambling operator ATG has accused the Finnish national gambling company Veikkaus of engaging in anti-competitive practices as the monopoly in the Finnish gambling market is about to be lifted. According to current plans, Finland will abolish the legal monopoly model on January 1, 2027, allowing external operators to enter the market. As the sole licensed operator, Veikkaus has been accused of hindering the fair participation of new competitors.
ATG specifically pointed out that Veikkaus has unilaterally terminated a 15-year horse racing partnership with them, prohibiting Swedish players from accessing Finnish horse racing events, and also restricting Finnish players from viewing Swedish horse racing content. Moreover, Veikkaus has signed long-term exclusive cooperation agreements with several TV production companies and has reached exclusive agreements with the Finnish sports federation, actions that are seen as increasing market barriers and limiting competition.
More concerningly, ATG claims that Veikkaus plans to transfer about one million existing customers from its monopoly entity to a newly established licensed operator, in order to maintain a leading position after the market opens in 2027. It is reported that Veikkaus terminated its cooperation with ATG because the latter refused to sign a long-term agreement valid until 2030.
It is worth mentioning that in November last year, Veikkaus was fined 2.9 million euros (approximately 3.34 million US dollars) for advertising violations. Earlier this year, Veikkaus appointed Jyri Lassi as the chief legal advisor, preparing for the upcoming market changes.
Meanwhile, ATG released a report in the first quarter of this year, indicating that unlicensed gambling activities in the Swedish market continue to grow, posing new challenges for regional gambling regulation. This round of accusations indicates that the competition situation is intense on the eve of the non-monopolization of the Finnish gambling market, and regulatory and market order still need close attention.
