On 18 June, the North Savo District Court ruled that Jouko Kärkkäinen, alias “pottukoira,” had breached the Finnish Lotteries Act by promoting gambling websites other than those under the Veikkaus monopoly. The court sentenced him to 80 day-fines, totalling €2,480. He was also ordered to pay an €80 victim surcharge.
Casino Links Put Streamer in Breach
The period under review went from May 2023 to February 2024. Casino offers appeared across Kärkkäinen’s Instagram account, Kick streams, and a related website. Some of them were written in Finnish and directed users to offshore casino bonus offers.
An example that was provided during the case review was 150 free spins for a €10 deposit. Such posts were treated as gambling promotion by the court.
Defence Rejected by the Court
Kärkkäinen denied the charge by stating that the content was purely recreational and did not target Finnish users for commercial purposes.
The court did not find such an explanation acceptable, referring to the multiple advertisements for the casinos, Finnish language used in the advertisements and links to pottukoira.com, which featured affiliate links for gambling companies.
Further, Kärkkäinen claimed that he did not have control over the website and also spent part of the relevant period in Tallinn. However, according to the court, this did not release him from liability as the links were posted via his own resources, while some of the advertisements were also posted via a chatbot function.
Moreover, Judge Adelina Komulainen concluded that a gambling offence does not require proof that the defendant received payment or financial benefit.
Monopoly Rules Still Apply
The verdict comes as Finland transitions into its system of licensed gambling. Licence applications started in March 2026, but the newly-regulated market will not start until 1 July 2027.
Before that happens, however, Veikkaus is the only one permitted to advertise gambling in mainland Finland. The National Police Board will oversee the existing structure and the ban on advertising any gambling services that are not Veikkaus’s.
It leaves streamers, affiliates, and operators in a very awkward place. A licensed market is approaching, but the old advertising ban is still active. Content creators who advertise offshore gambling brands before the market launches could face similar enforcement.
Kärkkäinen has the right to appeal the verdict, but he must do so by 20 July.
What the Ruling Shows
Although the fine itself is not large, the ruling gives affiliates and streamers a warning. Finnish courts may treat casino links and bonus posts as gambling marketing, even when they appear inside entertainment content. Until the new market opens in July 2027, promoting offshore casinos to Finnish users remains risky.
