Poliisihallitus orders MagicPoro to stop Finnish marketing with €1.2m threat

Poliisihallitus ordered MagicPoro Ltd on 31 August 2026 to cease all gambling marketing directed at consumers in Finland and attached a conditional fine of €1,200,000 should the company breach the ban. The prohibition covers the Pelikaani, Pelikioski, Bigwin and Pottila brands; Helsinki Administrative Court has temporarily suspended enforcement while it considers MagicPoro’s appeal.

What Poliisihallitus prohibited and when

The Police Board (Poliisihallitus) issued the prohibition on 31 August 2026 and demanded that MagicPoro Ltd stop online and social media marketing aimed at Finnish consumers and remove previously published promotional material. The authority specified the four brands by name: Pelikaani, Pelikioski, Bigwin and Pottila. To deter non‑compliance the decision carries a conditional fine of €1.2 million, payable if the regulator establishes a violation.

How the case began and what material the authority found

Poliisihallitus opened an inquiry in 2025 after identifying marketing directed at Finland across partner websites and social channels. The regulator recorded Finnish‑language casino presentations, brand logos, bonus descriptions and links steering users to gambling sites. Paid social media adverts targeted Finnish users, the decision says. Viralify campaigns promoting Pelikioski were singled out by the authority as an example of paid influencer and short‑video distribution driving Finnish reach.

Viralify is a short‑video marketing platform that commissions content creators and distributes campaigns to channels including TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Poliisihallitus’ assessment notes that marketing may constitute promotion even where a direct link to a casino domain has been removed: a logo, brand presentation or bonus information can itself be promotional activity under Finnish enforcement practice.

Corporate details: where MagicPoro is registered and how it operates

MagicPoro Ltd is a gambling company registered in Cyprus in 2022 and operating under an Estonian licence. The company told the Finnish authority it had modified its websites, ceased its own paid advertising and instructed partners to remove Finland‑targeted material. MagicPoro argued that it cannot exert full control over independent affiliate sites and social accounts; it said it can remove tracking links and request content takedowns but cannot directly delete third‑party publications.

"MagicPoro has taken steps to change website content, stop paid advertising and instruct partners to remove Finland‑targeted material," the company's appeal asserts. — MagicPoro Ltd, appeal filing

Legal process: appeal, court stay and next steps

MagicPoro appealed the Poliisihallitus decision to Helsinki Administrative Court on 23 September 2026. The company seeks annulment of both the marketing ban and the €1.2 million conditional fine; alternatively it requests the fine be removed or reduced. The Administrative Court issued an interim order suspending enforcement of the prohibition and the threat of the fine while the appeal is pending. That suspension does not decide the merits; the court will hear the substantive challenge later.

Poliisihallitus has also proposed adding MagicPoro to its payment‑blocking list, but any placement on that list is on hold pending the administrative proceedings. Payment‑blocking decisions aim to stop transfers to operators whose activities the regulator finds unlawful; inclusion can affect future licence assessments.

Potential regulatory consequences for future licensing and market access

If MagicPoro later applies for a licence to operate on the Finnish market, the pending case may be material to the licence evaluation. The regulator’s finding of targeted marketing and the conditional fine are facts the licensing unit could consider when assessing suitability, though final implications will depend on the Administrative Court’s decision and the specific criteria applied in any licence review.

What the decision means for operators, affiliates and platforms

Operators with affiliate programmes and platform vendors should note three practical points:

1. Marketing material in the local language, logos and bonus descriptions can be treated as marketing directed at Finnish consumers even without a direct link to a gaming site.

2. Paid influencer and short‑video campaigns distributed via platforms such as Viralify can trigger enforcement if they reach Finnish users.

3. A company’s ability to remove affiliate or third‑party content is legally relevant, but regulators may still consider the aggregate effect of that content when determining whether marketing has been targeted at Finland.

The decision underscores the regulator's willingness to use conditional fines and payment‑blocking tools where it finds cross‑border marketing aimed at Finnish consumers.

Reporting and sources

Reporting on the case in international trade press includes articles by Zak Thomas‑Ako’o published on Next.io on 7 October 2026 and 9 October 2026, which cover the Poliisihallitus decision and the Helsinki Administrative Court’s interim order. For regulatory analysis in Finland, this case will be followed through the Administrative Court's timeline and any subsequent enforcement measures by Poliisihallitus.

"Helsinki Administrative Court has frozen the ban and the €1.2m fine pending appeal consideration," the court's interim order summary states. — Helsinki Administrative Court, interim order summary

For background on regulatory mechanisms referenced here, see our coverage in the regulation section and recent headlines in news.