Finland’s state-owned gaming operator Veikkaus has been fined €2.9 million by the Police Board for a wrongly placed TV commercial.
In addition to the fine, Veikkaus has been hit with a three-month marketing ban, which begins 30 days after it received notification on 12 November.
The Police Board action is in response to an ad broadcast in July during the commercial break of a TV program that was potentially viewed by children.
The name of the show was not disclosed, but the operator said it is primarily aimed at adults and would also appeal to minors. Veikkaus used the example of Saturday night entertainment shows to demonstrate the potential audience base.
Veikkaus said that it has worked with the Police Board to improve its practices.
“We are very sorry that, despite our joint development measures, our advertising has been seen in the advertising breaks of programs aimed at minors due to human error,” said Veikkaus sales and marketing director Anu Kytö.
Veikkaus’ current media buying policy includes a requirement that programmes have at least 70 per cent adult viewership. This policy is said to be known to the authorities and has been in place for years, with the operator now seeking new instructions from the authorities on its future ad buying policy.