Focus REPORT: FINLAND The NorTherN delighTs Finland’s traditional closed gaming market is changing with the opening of online gaming, greater emphasis on the street sector and a recently re-branded casino offer. As the enchanted home to our once a populated country in the EU. The Finland’s only logically Finland is Europe’s largest year mythical super hero Santa Claus, majority of the 5.4 million population casino was producer of wood. There are 336 Finland is also known as the Land of the reside in the southern region and one renamed Casino municipalities which operate in 74 sub Midnight Sun and the Land of a million live in the Greater Helsinki area Helsinki, on regions and 20 regions. Thousand Lakes. It is also a country which includes Helsinki, Espo, September 19, 2011, where ice swimming is considered sport. Kauniainen and Vantaa. dropping the Finland was settled at the latest around ‘Grand’ from its 8,500BC during the Stone Age as the last Finland is a Nordic country situated in The country is made up of thousands of former title. The ice age receded. Swedish Kings the Fennoscandian region of Northern lakes and islands. In fact there are some name change is established their rule from the 12th Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the 187,888 lakes, 647 rivers and 179,584 part of the new century and the land became a fully west, Norway to the north and Russia in islands. The largest lake is Saimaa which direction the newly consolidated part of the Swedish the east whilst joining the Baltic Sea, Gulf is the fourth largest in Europe and almost christened Casino kingdom. In the 18th century wars of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland. It has all Finnish cities are located by a lake, Helsinki has taken between Sweden and Russia led to the a long boundary with Russia and Helsinki river or the sea. The Finnish landscape is during the year. occupation of Finland twice by Russian is the most northern national capital on mostly flat and the highest point is Halti forces and in 1809 Finland became an the European continent. at 1,324m which is located in the extreme autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian north of Lapland between the border of Empire after being taken over by the It is the eighth largest country in Europe Finland and Norway. Forest covers some armies of Alexander I. in terms of area and the most sparsely 86 per cent of the country’s area and February 2012 Page 42 Focus REPORT: FINLAND independence and established trade with The FiNNish Western powers and transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified markeT is a modern industrialised economy with a closed shop iN per capita income now among the highest in Western Europe. During the 1970s and Terms oF 1980s Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world and operaTioNs aNd although this has been cut back over the is orgaNised as years it is still one of the most comprehensive in the world. Although the a NaTioNal country headed into a deep recession in gamiNg the early 1990s due to a banking crisis and economic downturn, over the last 10 moNopoly. years it has seen a steady economic The first part of During the 1860s a strong Finnish government began to disarm the Russian growth. facelift included the nationalist movement known as the forces whilst the Social democratic party renovation of the Fennoman movement grew whilst the staged a coup and managed to take Like other Nordic countries Finland has restaurant and Finnish Famine of 1866 killed 15 per cent control of southern Finland and Helsinki. liberalised its economy since the late gaming areas on of the population over two years. The This sparked a civil war resulting in 1980s, some state enterprises have been the ground level in famine led the Russian Empire to ease thousands dying. privatised and there have been modest the summer, with financial regulations and investment rose tax cuts. Finland joined the EU in 1995 work continuing in over the following years. The relationship Finland eventually became a presidential and Eurozone in 1999 whilst the Euro the cloak room, between the Grand Duchy and the republic and Kaarlo Juho Stahlberg was currency was introduced in 2002. GDP in reception and Russian Empire soured as the Russian elected as the first president in 1919. The 2010 was US$186bn with a 3.1 per cent upstairs bar area in government made moves to restrict the Finnish and Russian border was growth rate and was expected to reach August and early Finnish autonomy and the call for determined in 1920 and the relationship 3.6 per cent in 2011. September. independence grew. between the two remained tense and during World War II Finland fought the Finland has a high industrialised mixed In 1917 the February Revolution took Soviet Union twice whilst treaties signed economy with the largest sector being place and the position of Finland as part during this period saw territories ceded to service following by manufacturing and of the Russian Empire was questioned. Russia. refining. Its largest industries are The October Revolution took the revolt electronics, machinery, vehicles, forestry one step further and in January 1918 the However the country regained its and chemicals. The country suffered a February 2012 Page 43 Focus REPORT: FINLAND huge slowdown in 2009 and the recession However the public began to complain has left a deep mark on general The markeT has that private businesses were taking government finances with deficits advantage of people’s need to play the expected for the next few years. Finland growN rapidly. machines and in 1933 the state must also address a rapidly aging some 73 per intervened and issued a decree giving population. Meanwhile the beautiful charitable organisations the exclusive Finnish landscape attracts many visitors ceNT oF FiNNs right to operate slot machines. This with its labyrinth of lakes and inlets plus resulted in competition between various 35 national parks. iNFrequeNTly organisations and so a new decree was The first slot gamble, while issued in 1937 which specified that a new machines The Finnish Tourist Board was established association should be set up and given appeared in in 1973 under the Ministry of Trade and 41 per ceNT the exclusive right to carry on gaming Finland in the 1920s Industry (now Ministry of Employment gamble every operations whilst using its gaming when Payazzo and the Economy) to promote tourism in revenue to fund the promotion of public machines were Finland. The number of visitors has been week. health. imported from increasing steadily over the years from 5.3 Germany by private million back in 2006 to some 6.2 million Finnish lotteries were first held back in And so Finland’s Slot Machine businessmen. The foreign visitors in 2010 which is a nine the 17th century but in the 19th century, Association (RAY) was launched a year name is derived per cent increase on the previous year when under the control of Russia, later in 1938 and was established by eight from the Latin word and they brought some €2bn into the lotteries gradually ceased and later the charity organisations together with meaning clown or country. criminal code of 1899 announced representatives of the Finnish state. RAY fool with the aim of gambling as an illegal act. After began its operations in April 1938 and shooting a ball into Around 40 per cent of these visitors came independence in 1917 permission to run also began to manufacture its own the hat of the clown from Russia followed by Sweden and then gambling in Finland was granted again by machines at this time. using your finger. Estonia. Half of these visitors were on the government and the first lottery was The manufacture of leisure trips whilst 12 per cent were held in 1926. Today, the Finnish market is well home grown visiting family or friends and 22 per cent established and well organised. It has Payazzo machines came on business. The first slot machines appeared in grown rapidly over the last few years. then began in 1929 Finland in the 1920s when Payazzo Some 73 per cent of Finns infrequently and the first one The FiNNish markeT machines were imported from Germany gamble and 41 per cent of them gamble developed was a The Finnish gaming market is a closed by private businessmen. The name is every week. An average Finn spends €13 five-row Payazzo shop in terms of operations and is derived from the Latin word meaning a week on gambling and the average called Sininen ihme organised as a national monopoly. The clown or fool with the aim of shooting a gambling expenditure of gamblers is (Blue Wonder). gaming market is divided between three ball into the hat of the clown using your around €90. The Finnish gaming market organisations – RAY (slots and casinos finger. The manufacture of home grown saw a total market value of €2,557m in and gaming arcades), Veikkaus Oy Payazzo machines then began in 1929 2010, a 6.1 per cent increase on the (lottery, scratch cards and football pools) and the first one developed was a five- previous year. The fastest growth was in and Fintoto Oy (horse racing). row Payazzo called Sininen ihme (Blue the internet gaming market which saw an Wonder). increase of 21 per cent. February 2012 Page 44 Focus REPORT: FINLAND ray’s reveNues 2010 year ToTal reveNue sloTs ray arcades casiNo helsiNki oNliNe casiNo games 2010 €674.5m €536m €92.1m €26.8m €2.4m €15.5m Finland’s gaming industry is governed by Finns overall are payment, use, supervision and recovery coNsumer several laws and decrees: playing slot of grants.