Finland Online Gambling Monopoly Extends Spanish Football Sponsorship

Finnish gambling laws propagate a state monopoly on all sports betting and gambling in the country. Three different bodies each control a different category of gambling, from sports betting and national lotteries to table games, slots, and online gambling. 

Of the three state gambling organizations in the country, only one, Alands Penningautomatforening (PAF), offers internet gambling in Finland. PAF also extends its reach abroad, and has recently renewed a sponsorship contract with Spanish football club Atletico De Madrid.  

Albin Tiusanen, head of Spanish activities at PAF, explained the new deal. “Extending our partnership means that our customers in all markets will be able to win football trips to Madrid, meet some of the club’s star players and sit in the best possible seats at the Vicente Calderon Stadium to see Atletico De Madrid play against other major clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.”  

The deal will see PAF promoting the team through an official Atletico De Madrid themed online gambling site that targets Spanish players, offering online casino games, poker, bingo, and sports betting services. In return, some of Spain’s best players Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero will travel Stockholm next month to take part in promotional activities for PAF.  

“We were convinced that the relationship between PAF and Atletico De Madrid was going to be more than promising and it was,” said Atletico De Madrid president Enrique Cerezo.  

The official PAF internet gambling sites provides a number of services including sports betting, poker, casino games, and online bingo in Finland. The site is more or less identical to the Atletico De Madrid themed site that PAF offers to Spanish gamblers. While the site attracts many players in Finland, it is but one of the many options available, and there are dozens of foreign-hosted websites that offer online gambling services to Finnish players.