Finland Proposes State-Run Online Poker Room

Finland’s Minister of Culture and Sport, Stefan Wallin, told one of the country’s most major newspapers earlier this week that he is fully backing a proposal that would allow for a state-run online poker room.

The idea to allow a state-run online gambling site would deter millions of dollars from going into large, international gambling conglomerates and into the country’s government instead.  The money would then allow for additional government spending and other state-sponsored programs.   PokerNews wrote that “any such state-run room would likely fall under the auspices of one of two state-run operations currently overseeing similar matters, either the state gaming monopoly, Veikkaus Oy, or the Finnish Slot Machine Association, Raha-automaattiyhdistys (RAY). ”

With online gambling on the rise, Finland is hoping to capitalize on a big share of the local gaming community.  However, critics of the plan have been quick to point out the flaws in the bill.  Perhaps the most important being that a room being run by the country itself would only make it easier for gamblers to get addicted, mainly because a wider range of deposit options would be available and it would curb citizens to stay in their own locale rather than going to any other online gaming websites.

It’s tough to determine if the idea will merely stay at that – just an idea…. 

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