Frequently asked questions about the licence holder’s obligations

The supervisory authority does not charge a separate processing fee for the annual reports. However, holders of a gambling licence or an exclusive licence pay an annual supervision fee based on the gaming cap.

Yes. Annual reports must be submitted for each year of the permit’s validity, regardless of whether any gambling services were provided. If no gambling services were provided and no gambling was marketed, the annual reports should state this.

No. Send your financial statements to the supervisory authority using the online service or by email or post. We recommend that you primarily use the online service.

Licensing matters under the Gambling Act are handled in Finnish or Swedish. If you submit your annual reports in another language, the supervisory authority may request translations of these documents, if necessary.

The licence holder is responsible for arranging the translation of documents, covering the translation costs, and submitting the translations to the supervisory authority. Arranging the translation of documents may delay the supervisory authority’s processing of the matter. The supervisory authority is not liable for any delays caused by this.

The content and scope of the action plan and the level of detail of the budget may vary depending on the operator and the range of activities it carries out.

The action plan and budget describe the licence holder’s activities and provide an overall approximation of their financial position. The planned actions may change over time, and some of the measures described in the action plan may not be taken at all. The estimated income and expenses in the budget are also non-binding, and there are no penalties for exceeding or falling short of them.

However, try to describe the issues that affect gambling activities in particular and the granted licence in as much detail as possible. This facilitates the correct targeting of supervision measures and may allow the use of lighter supervision tools such as guidance and advice.

Also, remember to make an amendment notification if necessary.

Self-monitoring refers to the procedures by which licence holders monitor the legality of their activities and the adequacy of their sustainability measures.

The focal points of self-monitoring depend on many factors. The key to self-monitoring is to assess the risks associated with your activities and target measures based on the identified risks. 
In practice, the focal points of self-monitoring vary depending on the operating environment and the games provided, among other things.

For games offered on physical premises, the self-monitoring model can focus on issues such as age verification, ensuring that gamblers are identified and use their own personal gambling accounts, and the placement of slot machines.

The self-monitoring of online games can be done before they are deployed into production. In this case, self-monitoring could focus on the testing and approval processes for the games. Licence holders can also develop, for example, various verification procedures to ensure that the data content required for monitoring is produced and delivered.

Yes. The self-monitoring obligation also extends to the licence holder's agents and their personnel. The purpose of the self-monitoring plan is to ensure that the personnel involved in the sale of gambling services are aware of the legal obligations associated with gambling activities and are able to comply with them.

Agents' self-monitoring plans only need to be submitted if the supervisory authority requests them.

The duty of care includes the obligation to monitor and assess gambling behaviour and the risk of gambling-related harm. In other words, licence holders have a legal obligation to continuously monitor gambling activity and assess each player’s risks.

In practice, the monitoring and evaluation of gambling behaviour is carried out using automated data processing. However, if necessary, licence holders must also contact players personally.

The duty of care includes the obligation to take measures to prevent and reduce gambling harms where necessary. For example, license holders must impose limitations on the amount and timing of gambling where necessary. In addition, every licence holder must also offer players the possibility to set limits.

The duty of care can also be implemented by means other than limiting gambling activity. For example, licence holders can restrict digital marketing to certain players, select which product information to display, or highlight different gambling management tools in the gaming service.

The licence holder must assess the risk of gambling harm to each player on an ongoing basis. If a player's gambling behaviour becomes clearly more harmful, action should be taken in line with the duty of care model.

When assessing harm, attention can be paid to variables such as the consistency and regularity of customer behaviour and the degree to which activities are planned. The quantitative variables to be assessed could include the time and money spent on gambling, among other things.

Yes. The licence number helps citizens to distinguish between legal and illegal gambling activities. Display the licence number prominently, so that no one needs to search for it.

In addition to the licence number, the following information must always be stated when gambling services are provided:

• The supervisory authority
• The age limit for gambling
• Where to find information on gambling management tools and service providers offering help with gambling problems
• Game rules, instructions and prices
• The probability of winning and the draw frequency 
• An assessment of the risk of gambling harm
• Other relevant information

Make it clear that players can self-impose gambling restrictions. This information must always be available and easy to find. Offer a direct link or another easy way for the player to self-exclude if they wish to do so.

Provide all the information listed above in both Finnish and Swedish. Use clear language and text that is large enough to read. Put the information in a place where players can see it and access its contents.

No. Using cryptocurrencies for gambling is illegal.

No. The information and reports covered by the annual reporting obligation are used to guide the supervisory authority's supervision measures. The information contained in the reports is used for supervision purposes. However, the reports and their contents are not themselves accepted or rejected, for example, by separate administrative decisions.

You will be notified when the supervisory authority receives the reports. If you send the reports using the online service or by email, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement of receipt immediately. Once the supervisory authority has familiarised itself with the documents you have submitted, you will also receive an acknowledgement that the necessary information and accounts have been provided.

If the information you provide is incomplete, the authority will send you a request for supplementary information. Based on the content, the authority may also provide guidance and advice for your future activities, for example. However, guidance is given at a general level, and the legality of a particular activity is assessed separately in the context of other supervision measures.

It depends on the circumstances and the issue concerned. Generally speaking, a breach or failure to comply with obligations gives the authority grounds to intervene in gambling activities.

For example, the supervisory authority may impose a fine for breaching or neglecting the reporting or disclosure obligation. Repeated or serious failures to comply can also lead to a disqualification decision or the revocation of the licence.

For minor failures, the penalties are typically less severe. Specific supervisory measures may not be necessary, for example, if the annual reporting is missing a single piece of information or a report that is submitted immediately after the omission is discovered.

Yes. The supervisory authority must always revoke a licence when the licence holder themselves requests it. Revoking the licence is free of charge.

Write a free-form request to revoke the licence in Finnish or Swedish. Send your request to the supervisory authority using the online service or by email or post. We recommend that you primarily use the online service.

The revocation request must be signed. The revocation request can be signed either physically or electronically. The electronic signature must be at least an advanced electronic signature in accordance with the eIDAS Regulation (EU 910/2014).

Make your amendment notification in writing in Finnish or Swedish. Send the notification to the National Police Board by email or post. 
Before you make a notification, check whether the amendment notification alone is sufficient or whether the matter requires an amendment application. An amendment notification is, as its name implies, just a notification. An amendment notification is usually made when the subject of the amendment is something that is mentioned in the licence application but not in the actual licence decision.

Make a notification of any material changes that affect the licence. A typical reason for an amendment notification is a change in the licence holder’s responsible persons. It could also include a change of software supplier or representative, a new brand name, or a change of agents. Notifications can be submitted for minor things, such as a new billing address or updated articles of association.
A notification must also be submitted for any fines, criminal convictions, bankruptcies, business prohibitions or other changes in the solvency of the licence holder or people in positions of responsibility.

The amendment notification can be prepared free-form. Always submit the notification within two weeks of the change.