Floorball: Veikkaus suspends betting as scandal explodes
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17 Sep 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes Finnish floorball is going through the worst crisis in its history. Public operator Veikkaus has suspended all betting on the sport following the revelation of a vast scandal involving nearly a hundred players and coaches.
A radical decision by Veikkaus
In Finland, floorball, a national sport on the rise, is now at the heart of a major scandal. Public operator Veikkaus, which holds a monopoly on gambling, has announced the immediate suspension of all betting on elite men’s floorball. The measure, which came into force at the beginning of September, follows the discovery of a number of violations relating to sports betting.
The suspension applies to the F-Liiga, the country’s highest division, as well as the Finnish Cup and even international competitions.
An investigation that is gaining momentum
The affair did not suddenly erupt. As early as June, Veikkaus had identified suspicious behaviour at certain matches, including a national team match against Norway last December and a play-off match between Classic and SPV in the spring. Unusual betting patterns and the alleged use of inside information raised suspicions.
The Finnish Centre for Sports Ethics (SUEK) took charge of the investigation. Its Secretary General, Teemu Japisson, was clear:
‘The rules of sport have been violated here, according to our investigation, not Finnish law.’
Initial estimates suggested that only around ten people had broken the rules. But the investigation soon revealed a fraud on an unprecedented scale: almost 100 F-Liiga players, coaches and members of staff were alleged to have gambled illegally, some as far back as the 2021-2022 season. Every club in the league is allegedly involved.
For Jouko Ikonen, head of investigations at SUEK, the case is the most serious in the seven years of the organisation’s existence. According to him, 75% of the most obvious cases have already been referred to the Finnish Floorball Federation (SSBL), which is responsible for disciplinary sanctions. It is worth noting that most of the accused have admitted to the offences, often for small sums.
The impact on floorball’s image
Floorball, a sport invented in Sweden and extremely popular in Finland, enjoys a reputation as a dynamic family sport. This scandal has tarnished its image just as the F-Liiga was launching a new season.
According to the SSBL, the sanctions will be imposed in the next few weeks, but the offenders will have several weeks to respond to the accusations. In the meantime, the suspension of betting has undermined the relationship between clubs, players and sports betting fans.
This scandal raises a fundamental question: are the rules governing sports betting in national sports sufficient? Under the agreement between Veikkaus and the F-Liiga, players, coaches and club members are prohibited from betting on matches in their sport. Yet these bans seem to have been flouted on a massive scale.