According to the British organization H2 Gambling Capital, the Finns spend the most money on gambling in European countries. All over the world, only Australia and Singapore spend more than the Finns. The company estimates that every second adult in Finland spent over 400 euros on gambling last year. More money is spent only by Australians - more than 700 dollars a year.

One explanation for the popularity of gambling is their availability. Unlike many other countries, you do not need to go to the casino to play. Gambling is in almost every store and gas station. Online gambling are also very popular among Finnish gamers. For example, Finnish new Pay N Play casinos are the latest hit among players.

In addition, Finland has consciously built a friendly attitude towards gaming culture, says specialist Antti Murto from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

- This is entertainment for many people, and they play in public places. It is rather exclusive to the international gaming business.

In Finland, the share of online gambling is high compared to other countries. Two thirds of the money are still spent in traditional gambling, such as slot machines, bets and lotteries. In total, last year the Finns spent more than two billion euros.

Mobile Gambling in Finland
It is expected that the popularity of online games on a computer or mobile phone will continue to grow, as the entire gaming market.

In Finland, gambling is regulated by law, which is valid in continental Finland. In Åland, gambling is regulated by the PAF. In Finland, the gambling monopoly is state-owned Veikkaus. Thus, Veikkaus manages all the gambling offers in Finland and the only ones that are allowed to advertise their products to a limited extent. In 2010, a gambling offence was added to the Finnish Penal Code, for example, if you illegally organized gambling activities without a license. The penalty is a fine or up to two years in prison. The lottery law also provides for a violation of the lottery, for example, if the trader inadequately controls the slot machines located on its territory.

In Finland, gambling is one of the most important in the country. Studies show that Finnish gambling is especially strong. In 2014, the Finns spent more than 2.2 billion euros on gambling. During the year, every adult Finn spends an average of just over 500 euros on games. The amount is the fifth largest in the world.

About 13 percent of the players - more than half a million Finns - play gambling so much that they can talk about risky spending. This is evidenced by a study conducted by EHYT. The share of players who like to risk in a casino is one and a half times higher in Finland than, for example, in the UK. About three percent of players have real problems and suffer from addiction. This means that about 40,000 Finns currently need help.

There are many psychological aspects related to gambling. For example, a game can be used to correct a negative feeling or break in a relationship.

“If a person does not have other social relations, a daily trip to the kiosk and playing it is important for his well-being. For some players, this does not even require communication with other players,” says Tapio Jaakkola from EHYT. Like alcohol, the game seeks relief from everyday worries, sadness and anxiety. Sometimes games can also act as self-medication, for example, in depression. The player avoids his inner anxiety, trying to find relief or pleasure in gambling, waiting for victory. Such behaviour, an attempt to solve problems, can reveal dependency behaviour. Also, one of the key motives of the game is boredom.

The most popular casino games
Lotto is still the most popular gamble in Finland. According to a survey conducted by Investium in the summer of 2014, Finns still want to get rich using the lottery: almost 30 percent of respondents called the lottery the preferred method for rapid enrichment.

Signs of gambling addiction is that if a person plays more often than several times a month, he plays four or more different types of gambling, he plays high-risk gambling, such as ATMs or casino games, it exceeds the amount to play or trying to win back lost money.

The law on the organization of preventive work with drugs, which entered into force in December 2015, included gambling as part of treatment.