Finland Facing Internal Online Gambling Dispute
A move to reform gambling laws in Finland may erupt in political dissension between regions inside the Nordic country. Aland, the Swedish-speaking region of Finland that encompasses thousands of islands in the Baltic Sea, hosts the country's only licensed online gambling operator, whose existence is threatened by new proposed law.Aland is a semi-autonomous region of Finland, and permits PAF to run a monopolistic Internet gaming operation. Online gambling is illegal in mainland Finland, but the majority of PAF customers come from the mainland, causing several jurisdictional disputes over the last few years.
Now, changes in the Finnish Lotteries Act may attempt to stop residents from visiting online casinos run by PAF. Rather than just shut down its gaming industry, Aland has countered by floating the idea that the region establish itself as a licensing area for Internet casino operators.
The plan would appeal to EU officials, which want an open market for services in Finland for other Union member nations. But it would also likely result in political upheaval between Aland and Finland.
A recent government resolution in Finland gave Aland inclusion into all matters involving the EU Parliament. The resolution states its "primary aim is to devise a compromise acceptable to both mainland Finland and the Aland Islands in order that Finland would be able to take only one stand on all matters in the European Union."
