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The Finnish Supreme Administrative Court rules that skill-based fantasy sports games belong to Veikkaus monopoly

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Article written by Antti Koivula, consulting legal advisor at Legal Gaming

On May 24, 2022 the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court delivered its judgment on IS-Liigapörssi-case (KHO:2022:60), in which the Supreme Administrative Court analysed whether skill-based fantasy sports games are within the scope of the Finnish Lotteries Act (1047/2001) (“Lotteries Act”) and thus belong to the state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus Oy’s (“Veikkaus”) monopoly.

Finland has a statutory gambling monopoly in place, under which Veikkaus has exclusive rights to operate and market gambling. According to the Lotteries Act, all games which include a participation fee, prizes of monetary value and the result is based on chance, are within Veikkaus monopoly.  The main question in the case was if it is enough the game to be even remotely based on chance to be within the scope of the Lotteries Act and thus belong to Veikkaus monopoly, and if that was the case, whether the element of chance was present in the skill-based fantasy sports games in question.

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IS-Liigapörssi-case concerned popular fantasy sports games in Finland, in which participants form virtual ice hockey teams from real ice hockey players and points were awarded based on the ice hockey players performance on real ice hockey matches. The fantasy sports games included entry fees and prizes and they had been run since 1995 by a Finnish media giant Sanoma Media Finland Oy (“Sanoma”). It was an undeniable fact that skilled and analytical participants who invested a considerable amount of time to the fantasy sports games outperformed participants who picked the players randomly.

The background of the case is lengthy, as the national authorities had tried to shut down the fantasy sports games run by Sanoma for more than a decade. In 2008 the Ministry of the Interior made a request for investigation for the police, which carried out a preliminary investigation. However, in 2010 the National Prosecution Authority (“NPA”) made a non-prosecution decision stating that it was left unresolved whether the Fantasy Sports games in question are within the scope of the Lotteries Act.

In 2017 the gambling enforcement authority, the National Police Board (“NPB”) started administrative proceedings against Sanoma regarding the fantasy sports games and two years later in 2019 the process had reached the point in which the NPB imposed a prohibition order and a conditional fine of EUR 300,000 for Sanoma on the basis that Sanoma was not allowed to run the fantasy sports games as they qualified as gambling. Sanoma appealed to the Helsinki Administrative Court arguing that the fantasy sports games in question were skill-games with which chance had no effect on the results and thus outside the scope of the Lotteries Act, but in 2021 the Helsinki Administrative Court ruled in favour of the NPB. Sanoma appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court.

The Supreme Administrative Court acknowledged that participants knowledge and skills were meaningful in the context of success, but reminded that at the same time random factors outside the participant’s control had a significant importance too. Thus, the chance of winning was at least partially based on luck. As the fantasy sports games also included entry fees and prize money, only Veikkaus was allowed to run them in Finland.

The Supreme Administrative Court’s decision hardly came as a surprise. The Lotteries Act’s definition of gambling is extremely broad, from which a good example is that even an ice fishing competition and an auction were previously deemed to fall within it. Nevertheless, the decision yet further strengthened the NPB’s authority and it remains to be seen what is the next competition or event after which they’ll go next.

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Adam Fonsica Co‑Founder & COO at Random State

Random State obtains Ontario iGaming licence

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Random State (“RS”), the Swedish studio behind next‑generation iLottery and multiplayer bingo content, has been granted a Gaming‑Related Supplier – Manufacturer licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The approval, effective 14 May 2025, authorises RS to offer its games and platform services to licensed operators across Ontario.

“Securing the Ontario licence is a milestone our entire team has worked tirelessly toward,” said Adam Fonsica, Co‑Founder & COO at Random State. “Ontario not only validates the quality and integrity of our technology; it provides a launchpad for our broader North‑American expansion. We can’t wait to introduce our eInstant titles and multiplayer bingo hub to Ontario players later this year, together with a soon‑to‑be‑announced operator.”

The licence clears the way for RS to roll out its full product portfolio in Ontario:

Interactive eInstants – instant‑win games that re‑imagine traditional lottery mechanics with modern gameplay and rich visuals.

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Multiplayer bingo – a complete suite of 90-, 75-, 80/60/40‑ and 30‑ball variants, featuring progressive jackpots, Pot Booster and real‑time chat hosting.

Turn‑key iGaming platform – advanced Player Account Management (PAM), certified RNG, gamification engine and a WYSIWYG game‑configuration tool that lets operators launch new games in minutes.

Random State expects its first Ontario go‑live in Q3 2025, delivering both eInstants and multiplayer bingo on day one.

The post Random State obtains Ontario iGaming licence appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Compliance Updates

Missouri Officially Begins Accepting Applications for Sports Betting Licenses

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The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) has announced that it has officially begun accepting applications for sports betting license.

The Commission made the announcement following the unanimous approval of a resolution drafted Tuesday that approved the licensing process. The resolution passed after Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office reviewed it.

The licensing period opens roughly six months after Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing sports betting. The measure passed by less than half a percentage point, with a margin of less than 7500 votes.

According to the amendment, the state’s sports betting sector has to be ready to launch by Dec. 1, 2025. Operators will pay a 10% wagering tax, which will mostly go toward funding education programs throughout the state.

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The delay in setting up the licensing system was largely due to the new Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. Hoskins publicly opposed sports betting when he was in the Missouri state legislature. In February, he denied the Commission’s attempt to accelerate the process.

Regulators and sportsbook operators hoped the sector would be up and running in time for the NFL season’s start in September. That won’t happen now, as licensing rules don’t take effect until Aug. 30, leaving insufficient time.

Missouri license applications have two deadlines. The deadline for the two proposed “untethered” sportsbook licenses, known as Direct Mobile Licenses, is July 15. The companies that applied will have a hearing on Aug. 13, and the successful applicants will be announced on Aug. 15.

The other retail and mobile licenses have a longer application window until Sept. 12. Although licensing rules don’t officially take effect until the end of August, the Commission opened applications at this stage to give applicants time to prepare their paperwork.

All 13 of the state’s casinos and excursion gambling boats may apply for licenses to offer sports betting, and all six of Missouri’s pro sports teams will be allowed to host retail sports betting outlets at or near their stadiums.

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Prior to the opening of license applications, the MLB team St. Louis Cardinals partnered with sportsbook bet365 to become the team’s official sports betting partner. The collaboration grants the operator access to a sports wagering license when the market opens at the end of the year.

The post Missouri Officially Begins Accepting Applications for Sports Betting Licenses appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Compliance Updates

Spillemyndigheden: Streamer fined DKK 10,000 for illegally distributing games

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A streamer has accepted a fine of DKK 10,000 for using Twitch to distribute games to game providers without a license to offer games in Denmark.

Twitch is a platform where users share live content, such as gaming, unboxing and gambling.

The streamer has in several cases advertised game providers without a Danish license through his Twitch channels.

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The Danish Gambling Authority discovered the violation in 2023 and reported the streamer to the police.

The police have assessed that the streamer has violated the law, and the streamer has been fined DKK 10,000, which was the amount recommended by the Danish Gambling Authority.

This is the second time that the Danish Gambling Authority has reported a streamer for distributing illegal games and has been successful in the case.

 

Source: spillemyndigheden.dk

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The post Spillemyndigheden: Streamer fined DKK 10,000 for illegally distributing games appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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