It’s no secret that gambling is a much-loved activity in Finland. Lots of Finns throughout the country love spending time playing casino games such as slots, table games, poker and more. The country is home to just two land-based casinos – one in the capital city of Helsinki, the other in the Aland Islands. However, people living there have access to a huge range of online casinos. In this article, we’ll look at how the online gambling habits of people in Finland compare with those of people living in the USA.
The Legality of Online Gambling
Before we start comparing the two countries, it’s important to point out that the legality of online gambling is different. In Finland, the laws to do with online gambling are such that anyone in the country is legally permitted to sign up to and spend money at any gambling site, whether it’s based in Finland itself or another country.
Finland doesn’t currently offer licences to operators of casinos based in other countries. However, people can still safely play at casinos based in other countries because Finland isn’t able to block access to these sites, nor is it permitted to prosecute anyone who uses these sites.
In the U.S., however, things are a lot different. Each state gets to decide its own gambling laws and with fifty of them, it’s safe to say that the exact legal status of online gambling can vary quite greatly. As for October 2021, just over a fifth of U.S. states have actually legalised online gambling. Having said that, a state may allow one type of online gambling but not another. For example, sports betting may be permitted but playing at online casinos and poker sites may not be.
Finnish vs American Online Casino Habits
When comparing the online casino habits of Finland and the U.S., we have to bear in mind that not everyone in the U.S. is legally able to gamble. Even though you’re very unlikely to get prosecuted for gambling online – it tends to be the casino operator that gets in trouble with the authorities – the fact that online gambling is illegal is enough to put people off.
In the U.S., approximately 64% of adults admit to gambling online at least once a year. The figure for Finnish people is higher at 74%. Even though a bigger percentage of the Finnish population gamble, Americans are more likely to become addicted. Some 1.1% of Finns have been classed as problem gamblers, whereas in America the figure’s higher with roughly 1.6% of the adult population having problems with gambling. In both countries, men are slightly more likely to indulge in gambling than women, and the average gambler is in their early 40s.
Gaming Preferences
Of all the different types of gambling opportunities there are, lotteries are the most popular in Finland. Slots and scratchcards are also enjoyed by many Finns. Both of these games are very simple and quick to play, especially scratchcards. Slots are popular just about everywhere because there’s so much variety to them: they can come in an endless array of themes and can have all sorts of exciting features from free spins and respins, to bonus rounds, progressive jackpots and more. Scratchcards are pretty much the simplest game you can play: reveal symbols and if enough of them match, you win.
Lotteries are also big in the U.S., but not quite as big as they are in Finland. Many Americans enjoy playing a variety of online casino games such as slots and table/card games. Blackjack, roulette and poker are also fairly popular in the U.S., with many Americans enjoying playing these games from time to time.
Spending Habits
While we’ve established that both Finns and Americans love to gamble online, we haven’t discussed spending habits. First, we’ll look at losses. In a typical year, people in Finland collectively lose about £2.5 billion through gambling. This works out at the fourth highest amount of money lost to gambling per person. The country with the biggest losses per person is Australia. The U.S. is in fifth position though its losses are the biggest overall at $116 billion.
The average person in Finland spends approximately 520 euros on gambling a year. It’s not known exactly how much of this is spent at online casinos, but it’s safe to say that it’s a significant percentage. In this U.S., it’s been estimated that the average person spends roughly $261 on gambling per year – this is a lot less than the average amount Finnish people spend. Again, it’s not sure how much is specifically spent on online casinos, but it’s likely to be a high amount.
Summary
Statistics may vary slightly, but what’s clear is that both Finns and Americans love to gamble online. Though the legality of gambling online is more complex and restricted in the U.S. compared with Finland, this hasn’t stopped the American industry from growing and thriving. Finland’s gambling industry is becoming increasingly popular too, with more and more Finns spending time and money at online casinos.
In the U.S., it’s likely that more and more states will legalise online gambling in the coming years. This would no doubt make the country’s industry considerably bigger and will in turn see more casinos launch and more games get created. In both the U.S. and Finland, the popularity of online casinos isn’t going to die down anytime soon.
