Players and Officials Tied to Floorball Betting Violations in Finland

Veikkaus has reported suspicious betting activity tied to Finnish floorball, revealing that some players and officials may have violated rules by wagering on matches. The activity involved both club and national-level games, prompting investigations by multiple governing bodies.

Good to know

• Bets were placed on a Finland vs. Norway national team match and a top-league club playoff.
• Some bets were unusually large and came from previously inactive accounts.
• Investigations have been handed over to the Finnish Sports Ethics Centre.

Veikkaus flagged two matches—one during the 2024 Men’s World Championship between Finland and Norway, and another involving Classic and SPV during the 2024–25 F-Liiga playoffs. The state-owned betting operator noticed irregular patterns, including high-value bets placed just before lineups became public.

According to Mikko Lahti, Veikkaus’ Director of Security and Risk Management, it appears that confidential information was shared ahead of time. “Based on our investigations, it seems quite obvious that secret lineup information has been passed on and leaked from within the teams,” he said. He also stated that some bettors had connections to insiders and made large bets, sometimes even against their own team.

Veikkaus did not find evidence that players who took part in the games themselves placed the bets, but noted that others closely linked to the teams did so. In one case, a player placed tens of thousands of euros in bets over the past season, continuing a pattern from earlier years.

Additionally, someone working behind the scenes for a team made frequent bets before lineup announcements—some of which were placed on their own team to lose. These actions directly violate F-Liiga rules.

Lahti called the findings serious and emphasized the importance of respecting betting bans within one’s own league. “I hope that the disclosure of the matter will underline for everyone involved in top-level sports in Finland how confidential insider information linked to betting and the betting ban related to one’s own league should be treated,” he said.

The Finnish Sports Ethics Centre (SUEK) has received the case files for further review. Meanwhile, the Finnish Floorball Federation (SSBL) and F-Liiga have started internal investigations.

SSBL Executive Director Riku Tapio expressed regret. “We are truly sorry,” he said. “This is against morality, ethics, rules and agreements. Our task is to ensure that these cases are investigated. After that, the clear goal is to ensure that this never happens again.”

Penalties are expected once the investigations conclude.