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Finns consist of just a little bit over 5,5 million people. Unlike other bigger nations with a population of whopping tens of millions of people, Finns have been the subject of global headlines more than you would expect. The headlines can either be of serious matters such as democracy and technological achievements or more fun subjects such as wife-carrying competitions or gambling, where Finns are also very notorious.
So, under that cool and silent Finnish exterior lies a renowned gambler. With the average Finn adult gambling approximately 400 euros every year, it seems that this trend is going to last for a while. Even though the Finnish government is trying to control gambling - online and in brick-and-mortar venues - in Finland, Finns have rapidly adjusted to online gambling and especially found their way to different types of online gambling sites. It can be online casinos, betting sites or websites giving information about online gambling, such as Kasinohai Rahapelit.
Why Finns gamble then?
The first answer that comes to mind here is boredom. Finland is a country with long, cold and dark winters, so people tend to stay indoors more often. At home, the only types of entertainment a normal adult has are television, one's mobile telephone and computer. Therefore it should not come as a surprise, that so many Finns have found their way to all types of online and mobile gaming. Gambling is just one part of it.
Also, gambling is not considered to be a bad thing in society. For centuries Finnish weekly family traditions have included playing the national lottery or betting on sports and then check the results with the family from the evening news - especially after a sauna. As a tradition, this has been moved down in families. Also, it is thought to be fun to scratch a scratch card while sipping your afternoon coffee in the nearby kiosk. Scratch cards are even a very popular gift among Finns, especially on Christmas.
Finnish people consider themselves lucky
In Finland, there is a popular saying that "to born in Finland is like winning in a lottery". Also, Finns believe they are also very lucky and only the Swedes can beat that sometimes - but only when playing ice hockey. It might sound like very nationalist statements, but statistics prove this to be quite correct. First of all, Finns have been able to snatch Eurolotto win from the other 17 European countries participants 16 times since 2012. They were only beaten by Germany, whose players has won approximately 30 times.
When online gambling and especially jackpot slots are also taken into account, 2 Finnish casino players have been able to hit it big by winning the mega jackpots. In the list of 20 biggest all-time jackpot wins, Finnish players are represented in second and 14th place by winning almost 18 million euros and 8,7 million euros respectively. It is no wonder that Finns love to play jackpot games. It is thought that every Finn has a secret dream of becoming rich one day by either winning the lottery or any jackpot or taking home the main prize from a scratch card.
Fun facts about Finnish gambling
- According to researches done by the Finnish government, almost 80 per cent of all Finnish adults have gambled at least once in the past year. Approximately 34 per cent of all gambling is done online - this number is on a steep rise in the past years.
- Finns love to play slots, video poker and scratch cards online. That is because these games can be found all over Finland as real slot machines. You can play them, for example, in grocery shops, restaurants, bars and cruise ships. The amount of slot machines is the highest in Europe.
- State-owned Veikkaus is the only official organization that can legally organize gambling online in Finland. Though, it is not illegal for Finns to gamble on foreign gambling sites.
- According to the Lotteries Act, foreign gambling sites can't advertise or sell their products in mainland Finland so they have found loopholes in the law. They have been advertising to Finland from European network television channels, doing sly co-operation with Finnish social media influencers and sponsoring Finnish celebrities birthday events and holidays.
- Throughout online casino history, famous Finnish athletes and celebrities have been seen as the front faces of many online casinos.
- The Finns were among the first to try out Pay N Play online casinos which were created in co-operation with a Swedish fintech company Trustly. These casinos have since become the most famous gambling sites in Finland.
