Antti Koivula’s Post

It humbles me to once again have the opportunity to moderate a panel on Finland at NEXT.io: Valletta on the 15th of May. Don't miss the session which starts at 2pm if you are interested in the Finnish iGaming market, and contact me via DM or email at antti@legal-gaming.com if you wish to have a proper meeting or just a quick chat.   The panelists, who I’m proud to introduce, include: Jan Hagelberg, Senior Vice President, International Business at Veikkaus Oy, Ario Mansoori, Senior Legal Counsel at Zimpler, Mikko Post, Senior Affiliate Manager at EBET and Founder of Casinosivut.com, and Paresh Rughani, Head of Compliance at Play'n GO.   Hope to see many familiar and new faces in the audience!   #gamingindustry #gambling #gamblingindustry #gamblingnews #igaming #igamingindustry #igamingnews #igamingbusiness #sportsbetting #onlinecasino #slotgames #slots #casinogames #casinoindustry #casinogaming #casinoonline #sportsbetting #betting #sports #valuebetting #Finland #monopoly #licensing #LegalGaming #enforcement #marketliberalization #responsiblegambling #gamblingharm #affiliates #influencers #influencermarketing #compliance #law #regulation #NEXTio #NEXTSummit #iGamingNEXT #NEXT #NEXTValletta

Bye-bye monopoly - Finland passes go: What will the Finnish market look like? Check out my insights at Gambling Insider's article. Link (EN): https://lnkd.in/dwQ7g8_Y #gamingindustry #gambling #gamblingindustry #gamblingnews #igaming #igamingindustry #igamingnews #igamingbusiness #sportsbetting #onlinecasino #slotgames #slots #casinogames #casinoindustry #casinogaming #casinoonline #sportsbetting #betting #sports #valuebetting #Finland #monopoly #licensing #LegalGaming #enforcement #marketliberalization #Veikkaus #responsiblegambling #gamblingharm

"Daddy, daddy, look! I made a [conference] pass for myself. Can I now come with you to your work trip?" Children ❤️

Legal Gaming Attorneys at Law is turning 4 years today 😍 🎉 🎊 🎇 Let me to introduce you to my colleague, Minna Ripatti, the Founding Member and Attorney at Law Legal Gaming Attorneys at Law. Please be kind and tag her for congrats in the comments if you may. OK, her turn: ❤️ "Legal Gaming was born four years ago from a longstanding vision of establishing Finland-related legal expertise in the field of iGaming. Today, we celebrate our fourth anniversary. From humble beginnings to where we stand now, as a team of four, we have grown, mirroring the scale and capability of an in-house legal department of a small to medium-sized iGaming company. In addition to our daily work serving the needs of our iGaming clients, as one of the founding members of the Finnish Gambling Association ry - Suomalainen rahapeliyhdistys ry, we also have contributed to the dialogue and initiatives that are shaping the form of the new gambling licensing system in Finland. As we raise a toast to the past four years, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has been a part of our journey - our clients, partners, and supporters. Your belief in our legal expertise in this field fuels our passion to continue pushing boundaries, breaking new ground, and delivering excellence in everything we do relating to iGaming. Here's to Legal Gaming, embarking on the next chapter of innovation in legal work, growth, and impact in the Finnish iGaming landscape and beyond. Thank you for being a part of our story." ❤️ Legal Gaming Attorneys at Law Finnish Gambling Association ry - Suomalainen rahapeliyhdistys ry Minna Ripatti Antti Koivula Heikki Koivula Maarit Levoniemi

"The case of 'Maestro' was one of the most audacious betting scams in sports history. It was orchestrated by a man who slept with a teddy bear in his parents' attic." Check out Jelena Leppänen's article on Yle in which I shed light on the dark phenomenon called match-fixing. Link (FI): https://lnkd.in/dRfSUQs9 #gamingindustry #gambling #gamblingindustry #gamblingnews #igaming #igamingindustry #igamingnews #igamingbusiness #sportsbetting #onlinecasino #slotgames #slots #casinogames #casinoindustry #casinogaming #casinoonline #sportsbetting #betting #sports #valuebetting #Finland #monopoly #licensing #LegalGaming #enforcement #marketliberalization #responsiblegambling #gamblingharm #matchfixing #corruption #crime #criminal #tennis #Maestro #GrigorSargsyan #PlaytheGame #PlaytheGame2024 #ATP #WTA #ITF

Happy Easter to all my LinkedIn contacts and to everyone else too! #gamingindustry #gambling #gamblingindustry #gamblingnews #igaming #igamingindustry #igamingnews #igamingbusiness #sportsbetting #onlinecasino #slotgames #slots #casinogames #casinoindustry #casinogaming #casinoonline #sportsbetting #betting #sports #valuebetting #Finland #monopoly #licensing #LegalGaming #enforcement #marketliberalization #Veikkaus #responsiblegambling #gamblingharm #marketing #legislation #law #gamblingreform

"When a gambling company holds no strategic significance for the state, why should it be owned?"   Should the Finnish state-owned gambling company Veikkaus be sold is a question that has been increasingly brought up in connection to the ongoing gambling legislation reform. This time the question is presented by Finnish business and financial newspaper Kauppalehti in its editorial.   “Only by betting can you win," messaged Veikkaus in an advertisement at one time. Thankfully, the cash-strapped government can rephrase the message as: "Through Veikkaus, one can win” begins Kauppalehti its editorial. Catchy. As is the headline of the editorial: "The state sits atop a billion-dollar golden egg: Selling this company would finance the investments of the electoral period", and the follow up article: "A billion-dollar dowry for the next government? It's worth cashing in on this company."   In the article Kauppalehti elaborates on FDJ’s EUR 2,45 billion purchase offer on Kindred Group and speculates that Veikkaus value has been estimated to be EUR 5 billion. That figure seems exaggerated to me, but regardless, the point is valid: Veikkaus is extremely valuable company. "So why beat around the bush? If the licensing model is ready in just under a couple of years, the government could take Veikkaus public before the end of the electoral term. However, the money from the sale would be a kind of dowry for the next government's investment or, rather, debt repayment program" Kauppalehti continues.   Kauppalehti’s point is extremely valid -  once the gambling monopoly system is abolished, what is the justification anymore for the state to own a gambling company? It’s difficult to see any strategic importance for a gambling company, for instance, in terms of Finland’s security of supply. Furthermore, the umbilical cord between Veikkaus' former beneficiaries and the company's profits has been severed, as Veikkaus' profits are now channeled into the budget, from which funds are distributed.   According to Kauppalehti, Veikkaus seems to be on its way to becoming a financial investment for the state. At some point, partially or completely selling its ownership is likely. From the seller's perspective, namely the state, it's most efficient to sell the entirety. It's unlikely a coincidence that the government program has outlined Veikkaus' companies remaining within the same group.   Links (FI): https://lnkd.in/dYeBN4CK? https://lnkd.in/dGk-w5Kg? #gamingindustry #gambling #gamblingindustry #gamblingnews #igaming #igamingindustry #igamingnews #igamingbusiness #sportsbetting #onlinecasino #slotgames #slots #casinogames #casinoindustry #casinogaming #casinoonline #sportsbetting #betting #sports #valuebetting #Finland #monopoly #licensing #LegalGaming #enforcement #marketliberalization #Veikkaus #responsiblegambling #gamblingharm

Perhaps it would be advisable to privatize the entire gambling industry in Finland, suggests Janne Nikkinen, an esteemed gambling researcher   In the article published on the Finnish Gambling Association ry - Suomalainen rahapeliyhdistys ry's website, Nikkinen elaborates on the protected "privileged status" of the monopoly system, examines key findings and the importance of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority’s report, along with the Ministry of the Interior’s preliminary study on the alternatives for the monopoly system. He delves into the CJEU’s Läärä ruling (C-124/97), criticizes the decision-makers for seemingly highlighting information-based decision-making when it was not de facto the case in the past, and criticizes the money driven hypocrisy behind gambling-related decision-making, among other topics.   "By outsourcing all gambling activities to private operators, it would likely be possible to regulate them effectively. State-owned enterprises always enjoy privileges from the system, regardless of the circumstances, which others can't even dream of. Unless the provision of harmful products and services is completely shifted to the private sector, we will soon have a state-owned 'Oy Cannabis Ab' in Finland. For this reason, it would be best for the state to divest from all retail monopolies involving harmful substances."   "It can be argued that the current legislative changes related to gambling could and perhaps should be taken further by privatizing the entire gambling industry, both in the online and brick-and-mortar environments. This way, legal disputes similar to those in Sweden could be avoided, where a monopoly company remains dominant in physical locations."   Link (FI): https://lnkd.in/dwEVdQPG   #gamingindustry #gambling #gamblingindustry #gamblingnews #igaming #igamingindustry #igamingnews #igamingbusiness #sportsbetting #onlinecasino #slotgames #slots #casinogames #casinoindustry #casinogaming #casinoonline #sportsbetting #betting #sports #valuebetting #Finland #monopoly #licensing #LegalGaming #enforcement #fines #crime #criminal #criminalliability #paymentblocking #law #legal #legalinsights #gamblingreform #marketliberalization #Veikkaus #research #RG #responsiblegambling #gamblingharm #Läärä #CJEU #FGA #FinnishGamblingAssociation #SuomalainenRahapeliyhdistys