Finland’s sport and culture minister Stefan Wallin says he is confident the country will have a state-run online poker site by the end of the year according to a report on Finland.fi.
Wallin said the Slot Machine Association (RAY), the government’s gaming monopoly, had already undertaken the necessary technical preparations ahead of launching the service.
However the state monopoly would need an expansion of its mandate from government which currently only covers casinos, table games, and slot machines.
In August 2008 CardPlayerEurope.com reported that the Finnish tax authorities were cracking down on online poker players.
Finnish poker players spend up to €50 million per annum on foreign poker sites.
