Use of proceeds from totalisator betting

Proceeds from totalisator betting operated by Fintoto Oy are used to promote horse breeding and equestrian sports. The use of the proceeds of Fintoto Oy is governed by the Act on the Use of Proceeds from Totalisator Betting (1055/2001). A Government Decree (1010/2011) regulates the division of the total amount of proceeds from totalisator betting into a portion

2011 2010 2009

To race tracks 26 26,6 29,9

To the Ministry of

Table 17 | Funding and central government transfers contributed by Fintoto Oy in 2009–2011 (MEUR)

Grants and contributions

Agriculture and Forestry 8,1 7,8 8,3

Total 34,1 34,4 38,2

Association produces proposals to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health concerning the use of proceeds to grant funding on the basis of applications. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health presents the proposals to the Finnish Government, which decides how funding is to be distributed. Finland’s Slot Machine Association is responsible for paying the funds, for supervising the use of grants under the guidance of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and for monitoring and assessing the operations of the beneficiaries.

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which Fintoto Oy uses under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and a portion which the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry distributes as funding (equestrian sports appropriations). Proceeds from totalisator betting accounted for 1.0 per cent of central government transfers in 2012. The percentage dropped to 0.4 per cent as of the beginning of 2013. More detailed provisions on the Equestrian Sports Advisory Board and the use of proceeds from totalisator betting are laid down by a Government Decree (1476/2001).

The Equestrian Sports Advisory Board was set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and its responsibility is to oversee the use of proceeds from totalisator betting on horse races and to act as an advisory body in connection with the ministry. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry decides the distribution of funds towards the promotion of horse breeding and equestrian sports on the basis of applications. The ministry also pays the funding and supervises that the funds are used appropriately. Funding is granted according to law to race tracks for the purpose of operating totalisator betting, to municipal governments for the purpose of building and maintaining race tracks, as prize subsidies, and to Finland’s national confederation of harness racing and horse breeding associations and its member associations for the purpose of sponsoring advice services and communications, horse breeding, doping control, and investments.

Fintoto Oy uses the amount left over after its contribution to central government transfers, operating costs, lottery tax, and winnings paid out to players to promote equestrian sports and horse breeding in the form of grants. Fintoto Oy gives these grants directly to race tracks. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been supervising the distribution of Fintoto Oy’s proceeds by requesting regular reports since the beginning of 2012.

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This publication describes the national and international develop-ment of governdevelop-mental actions relating to gambling. The objective of the yearbook is to give readers an overview of the developments that have taken place with regard to gambling and the Finnish gambling system since the previous yearbook, which was published in 2009.

Many changes have taken place during the period examined in this book. Changes in the international operating environment and two reforms of the Finnish Lotteries Act in particular have moulded Finland’s gambling system.

The most notable changes that have taken place during the period examined are listed at the beginning of each chapter of this book, and later developments are described on the websites of the authors.

Details of these websites and other sources of information are given below as well as in the annexes of the book.

More information is available on the following websites:

www.intermin.fi www.stm.fi

www.poliisihallitus.fi www.thl.fi/pelihaitat www.peliklinikka.fi www.peluuri.fi

AFTERWORD

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The book’s foreword is by Kari Paaso, Director of the Department for Promotion of Health and Welfare of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and Jouni Laiho, Head of Gambling Admi-nistration at the National Police Board. Katriina Laitinen, Ministerial Counsellor at the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior and Kari Haavisto, Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health contributed to the overall structure of the book. The authors are se-nior officials in organisations operating under the ministries responsible for the regulation of the gambling sector.

Information Officer, MSc (Social Sciences) Maarit Avellan edited the book and wrote Chapter 1, which discusses the Finnish gambling system. She is employed by the Centre of Excellence on Social Welfare in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which operates in connection with the City of Helsinki, and responsible for communications at the Gambling Clinic, and she also produces content on gambling-related problems for the website of the National Institute for Health and Welfare.

Senior Officer, LLM Jukka Tukia wrote Chapter 2, which discusses Finland’s gambling policy, and Chapter 5, which discusses the money involved in gambling. He is employed by the Poli-ce Department of the Ministry of the Interior, and his responsibilities relate to drafting Finland’s gambling policy and associated legislative work.

Ministerial Adviser, LLM Sakari Airas wrote Chapter 3, which discusses the international gam-bling market. He is employed by the Legislative Unit of the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior, and his responsibilities include duties relating to international gambling policy.

Senior Officer, MSc (Administration) Sari Ikkala and Senior Officer, LLM Tiina Tulirinta wrote Chapter 4, which discusses supervision, and Chapter 9, which discusses the use of proceeds from gambling. They are employed by the National Police Board and their responsibilities include supervising and managing the legality of gambling services and intervening in illegal activities.

Senior Researcher, PhD (Social Sciences) Johanna Järvinen-Tassopoulos wrote Chapter 6, which discusses statistics. She has extensive experience of the research conducted by the National Institute for Health and Welfare concerning gambling and gambling-related problems.

Researcher, MSc (Social Sciences) Jenni-Emilia Ronkainen also contributed to writing Chapter 6. She works as a researcher at the Department of Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction of the National Institute for Health and Welfare.