The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health wants a total ban on minors‘ gambling.

A working group at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is proposing that teens under 18 years of age would be prohibited from playing slot machines, lotto and toto.

The group also proposes gambling games to be equipped with identification devices to help ensure that age restrictions are abided by. The ministry would moreover like to see evocative gambling advertisements done away with.

The proposed amendment to the Lotteries Act is backed by efforts to prevent the harmful effects of gambling. At the moment, 15 year-olds can play slot machines and buy coupon games over the counter.

Tighter Reign on Online Gambling

In addition to stepped up control on minors‘ gambling, the ministry also wants to set boundaries for online gambling. Interventions should be made into illegal online gambling for example by blocking telecommunications and payment links abroad, finds a report by the working group.

Meanwhile, a research paper by Kalle Määttä, a law professor at the Joensuu University looks into possibilities for those losing money through illegal online games to recoup losses.