Recommended decisions 

True to its name, it is a recommendation given by the National Police Board to resolve a dispute regarding a payout between a player and Veikkaus Oy. In its recommended decision, the National Police Board will share its own view on the issue.

If the National Police Board assesses that the player’s claims are well-founded, the recommended decision may recommend returning the original betting sum or paying the payout to the player. Veikkaus Oy will be informed of the recommended decisions, giving the company the chance to follow the recommendation. However, the recommended decision is not legally binding to Veikkaus Oy.

You can request a recommended decision if you have gambled using Veikkaus Oy’s services and you disagree with the company on the payout or the result of the game. The National Police Board will process your application and issue a recommended decision. 

In your application, you can claim:

• your payout to be paid,

• your game fee to be returned, or

• your bet to be returned.

The National Police Board only issues recommended decisions for legally arranged gambling in mainland Finland, i.e. betting games organised by Veikkaus Oy based on its exclusive right. The National Police Board will not process recommended decision applications related to gambling games of other gambling companies. 

The National Police Board only has the authority to process claims related to payouts or returning the game fee or a bet. Primarily, the National Police Board will not comment on any other claims in its recommended decision. So, if you would like to make claims related to damage compensation, interest rates or expenses, for example, you should first contact the customer services of Veikkaus Oy or the Consumer Advisory Services. As a final solution, you can take the matter to a general court.

No, we do not. The recommended decision is free-of-charge to the player, regardless of whether the claims presented are determined to be well-founded or unfounded. 

You cannot appeal a recommended decision, which means that you cannot submit a complaint to a court of justice regarding the views stated by the National Police Board. The recommended decision given by the National Police Board does not prevent you from taking the matter to a court.

The National Police Board does not have the authority to comment on the matter. You can find out which authority supervises the company’s operations in the other country and contact them. The correct country and the competent authority can be determined based on which state the company is based in or which state has granted them the gambling licence.

You can apply for a recommended decision from the National Police Board in writing, either in Finnish or in Swedish. You can find the application form in Finnish here and in Swedish here. Include at least the following information in your application:

• the applicant’s name and address 
• the game on the payout of which you disagree 
• the result of the game or the game round 
• justification for your application.

Share as many details of the game or game round as possible in your application. Remember to attach the disputed lottery ticket or receipt or an exact replica of these to your application, if possible.

You can also include screen captures or print-outs to your recommended decision application. The National Police Board may also ask you to provide further details within a certain deadline.

Please submit the appendices and potential further details by email to arpajaishallinto@poliisi.fi or by post, addressed to Konepajankatu 2, P.O. Box 50, 11101 Riihimäki. 
 

Yes, there is. A recommended decision must be applied for within 30 days. The form of gambling in question has an effect on how this time limit is calculated. Depending on the game, the counting will be started either:

• from the day after the date the lottery result has been confirmed
  
• from the day after the ending date noted in the lottery ticket
• from the day after the confirmation date of the end result as determined in the rules of the game
• from the day after the date the result entitling you to a win was achieved.

The time limit is always 30 days. If the deadline of the application is on a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday, the deadline will be postponed to the next weekday. 

The application must be received, at the latest, on the final date of the 30-day period, by 11:59 pm. The National Police Board cannot give a recommended decision if the application is late.

Apply for a recommended decision with one form, if the games you have played are similar in nature, such as making several similar kinds of bets on the same betting target. However, you should include the identification information (game number) of each game you have played.

If you have played different games, however, such as different betting targets, you should make a separate application for each.

After the application is pending, the National Police Board will assess how to process the matter. A recommended decision case regarding several games can be processed either with one joint recommended decision or by giving a separate recommended decision for each game.
 

The rules of play for gambling games refer to the gambling rules of Veikkaus Oy’s games determined in the Ministry of the Interior’s decree. They are part of the lottery legislation. In addition to the rules of play, the legislation includes the Lotteries Act and the government decree on gambling. 

The rules of play are a key part of a player’s legal protection, as they have the more detailed rules of each game type. The recommended decision by the National Police Board is often based on the rules of play.