Finnish Regulator Receives Complaint Over Veikkaus Conduct

ATG has filed a formal complaint against Veikkaus, raising concerns that the Finnish gambling monopoly may be using its dominant position to create an uneven playing field ahead of Finland’s upcoming market liberalisation. The Swedish horse racing operator claims Veikkaus is acting in ways that restrict competition before private operators are allowed to enter the space.

Good to know

• ATG filed a complaint with Finland’s Competition and Consumer Authority.
• Allegations include cutting access to Swedish races and Finnish race data.
• Veikkaus denies any abuse of market position.

ATG claims Veikkaus is actively limiting fair competition before Finland opens its remote gambling market to private operators. The complaint was submitted to the Competition and Consumer Authority (Kilpailu- ja kuluttajavirasto), citing five key issues, including Veikkaus ending its long-standing partnership with ATG.

Mikael Bäcke, ATG’s director for Finland, raised concerns about how Veikkaus has reduced access to Swedish horse races for Finnish bettors. “Over the past 10 weeks Veikkaus has limited the number of Swedish races that are available to their customers,” Bäcke told iGB.

He also stated that, from April onward, Veikkaus stopped sharing Finnish racing data and video with ATG. As a result, Swedish bettors can no longer place bets on Finnish races. Bäcke argued that these moves, paired with the decision to fully cut Swedish race betting options, would “distort competitive conditions even before the market opens.”

Another concern is Veikkaus’ access to a customer base of roughly 2.6 million players. ATG and other future market participants believe this gives Veikkaus a major head start in cross-selling to players once full iGaming competition is allowed.

In a response sent to iGB, Veikkaus acknowledged receiving a clarification request from the FCCA. “We will get acquainted with it carefully and respond according to the given schedule,” the statement noted.

Hanna Kyrki, Veikkaus’ Executive Vice President and general counsel, denied the accusations made by ATG. “The allegations made by ATG about the abuse of its position are incomprehensible and completely false. We categorically deny them,” Kyrki said.

Finland is preparing to open its gambling market to competition, and tensions are growing between Veikkaus and potential new entrants. ATG is asking regulators to intervene before the transition begins.

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