Finland and Sweden Online Gambling Monopolies Join Forces

All gambling in Sweden is controlled by Svenska Spel, while Finland’s gambling industry is controlled by Raha-Automaattiyhdistys (RAY). Both Svenska Spel and RAY are government-sanctioned gambling monopolies.  

While Svenska Spel has been offering internet gambling in Sweden for quite a while, RAY is only recently starting to move into the online gambling sector. Earlier this year RAY signed a four-year contract with casino software company Playtech, who now supply RAY with a software platform and game library for use with their internet casinos. 

Now, a new deal has been struck between RAY and Svenka Spel, marking cooperation between these two national gambling monopolies. The deal will allow RAY to make use of an online gambling tool called PlayScan, which is owned and licensed by Svenska Spel. 

PlayScan allows internet gamblers to create an accurate analysis of their gaming behavior based on mental, cognitive and predictive data. It is an advanced gambling tool that helps players gamble more responsibly. Through this new deal forged between RAY and Svenka Spel, PlayScan will soon be attached to all legally-licensed online gambling sites in Finland. 

“PlayScan is a strategically important decision for RAY as we are now entering the online market and meeting our customers in a new environment," said the company's gaming operations executive Janne Perakyla. "By offering this tool, we will provide our players with the best way of controlling and tracking their own gaming activities.” 

Recent changes to Finnish gambling laws strengthened RAY’s position as the nation’s gambling monopoly by criminalizing the advertising of foreign-operated internet gambling sites.