National Audit Office: State Gambling Efforts "Not Effective" — Finland Shows Another Way

Sweden's Gambling Crisis in Numbers

On February 10, 2026, Sweden's National Audit Office (Riksrevisionen) published the report State efforts against gambling problems (RiR 2026:1). The conclusion was unequivocal: state efforts are "not effective" — and interventions targeting children and young people are particularly inadequate.

The numbers speak clearly:

Key Metric (Sweden)	Figure	Source
Swedes with gambling problems	350,000	National Audit Office 2026
Of which serious problems	40,000	National Audit Office 2026
Of which elevated risk	65,000	National Audit Office 2026
Of which some risk	247,000	National Audit Office 2026
Societal cost per year	11.5 billion SEK	National Audit Office 2026
Living with problem gambler	130,000 (incl. 40,000 children)	National Audit Office 2026
16–17 year olds with gambling problems	~6%	Public Health Agency
Municipalities using guidance in 2023	Only 1/3	National Audit Office 2026

The National Audit Office found that the Public Health Agency lacks practical guidance for municipalities, that the National Board of Health and Welfare has not produced recommendations for children and young people, and that gambling problems are still not included in schools' substance abuse prevention work.

Finland's Gambling Crisis — Radically Different Response

Finland faces similar challenges. THL's most recent survey (2023) shows that 4.2% of the population has gambling problems — approximately 151,000 people. This is nearly double the 2.6–2.8% measured in 2018. An estimated 733,000 close relatives are affected. Among young men aged 18–29, 6.9% have gambling problems — the highest-risk group.

The link to debt is alarming: 28% of individuals who have sought help through Finnish debt collection authorities report having taken payday loans to finance their gambling. This makes gambling the third most common cause of over-indebtedness in Finland.

But while the National Audit Office criticises Sweden for inaction, Finland has built one of the world's most proactive systems for gambling harm prevention.

Two Countries, Two Strategies

Dimension	Sweden	Finland
Regulatory assessment	"Not effective" (Audit Office 2026)	Building new system for 2027
Prevalence	~4% / 350,000 people	4.2% / 151,000 people
Societal cost	11.5 billion SEK/year	Not calculated
Children affected	40,000	Not calculated
AI-driven care calls	No	6,000+/year (1,400 to ages 18–24)
Self-exclusion	Spelpaus.se (voluntary)	Centralised national register (all operators)
Identification	BankID (partial)	100% identified play in all channels
Affiliates/influencers	Permitted (with restrictions)	Banned
Welcome bonuses	Restricted	Banned
B2B licence	Not required	Mandatory from July 2028
Tax on unlicensed play	Tax-free	Income tax on winnings
Payment blocking	Under discussion	Implemented (2023)
IP/DNS blocking	Not implemented	Planned + .fi domain removal
Schools	Gambling NOT in substance abuse prevention	Mandatory via curriculum

Veikkaus' Proactive Model

While the Swedish debate centres on what the state should do, Finland's Veikkaus has already implemented a comprehensive system:

Gambling Harm Prediction Model — an AI-driven model that analyses gambling patterns in real time and identifies risk behaviour before it escalates. The system triggers automated outreach: over 6,000 care calls per year, of which 1,400 are specifically targeted at young adults aged 18–24.

All gambling in Finland requires identification — 100%, in all channels, including physical slot machines. This enables mandatory daily and monthly loss limits, automatic time reminders (60 minutes online, 15 minutes at slot machines), and a panic button that shuts down all gambling until the end of the next day.

None of this exists at the offshore operators that control 76.6% of the online casino market and 72% of the betting market in Finland.

B2B Licence — "A Direct Lesson from Sweden"

One of Finland's most innovative measures is mandatory B2B licences from July 2028. All software suppliers providing gambling content in the Finnish market must be licensed.

Finnish industry experts describe this as a direct reaction to problems in Sweden, where unlicensed sites were able to offer exactly the same popular games as licensed operators — because software suppliers had no responsibility for which operators they supplied to.

"Sweden faces significant enforcement challenges against the black market. The tools proposed in Finland represent a step in the right direction."

— Antti Koivula, Finnish lawyer specialised in gambling legislation

What Can Sweden Learn?

The National Audit Office's key recommendations — that the Public Health Agency develops practical guidance, that the National Board of Health and Welfare produces recommendations for children and young people, and that the National Agency for Education includes gambling in substance abuse prevention — are all measures that Finland has either already implemented or is planning.

The Finnish model shows that it is possible to combine market liberalisation with strong consumer protection. The question is whether Sweden is prepared to learn from its neighbour's ambitions — or whether the Audit Office's criticism becomes yet another report that ends up in a drawer.

"What took Sweden several years of inquiries and debates, Finland completed in under two years. Finland has not merely copied the Swedish model — they have identified its weaknesses and built further."

— Tommi Korhonen, CEO, Bonusetu.media