Written by :
Published on :
An online gambling website started by National Hockey League (NHL) player Sami Helenius shut down just weeks after launching but Helenius now confirms to Gambling911.com they are reopened, now focusing on land-based casinos.
Finnish police warned Helenius he could get into trouble for marketing the online casino within that nation and targeting its citizens.
“I decided to quit my business, when the Police of Finland sent me a request for clarification,” Helenius said. “They suspected that we are really marketing to Finns, not to Swedes.
“After reading their message I immediately understood that there was no way for me to convince them that we are not targeting Finns. Among other things, they wanted to know if Finns could gamble on the gambling sites we wanted to advertise in kasinocurt.com.
“Finland does not block gambling sites, so of course it’s possible. Finland defends its monopoly very, very aggressively, even when the “aggressor” is not targeting Finnish casino enthusiasts. This is very disappointing and frustrating, as I had big plans for Kasino Curt.”
On Tuesday, Helenius advised Gambling911.com he was back open for business. “We found a way to avoid legal problems,” he said, advising of more to come on this front.
The monopoly in question is a merger of Fintoto, Veikkaus and RAY under the Finnish Lotteries Act.
Helenius played for the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks.
- Ean Lamb, Gambling911.com
