Kärkkäinen fined €25,000 for violating lottery laws in Finland

Jouko Kärkkäinen, a popular streamer and social media personality from North Savo, Finland, has been hit with hefty fines for violating lottery laws. Kärkkäinen, known as Pottukoira, revealed the news to his followers on TikTok a couple of weeks ago. The Finnish Police Authority confirmed to Savon Sanomat that the fines amount to €25,000.

The fines stem from Kärkkäinen’s promotion of foreign gambling companies through his channels, which primarily feature Finnish-language content. According to Finnish lottery law, only Veikkaus games may be advertised in mainland Finland. Kärkkäinen has been openly advertising these companies.

He gained notoriety for a 42-day drinking marathon that he streamed live online. In recent social media posts, Kärkkäinen mentioned relocating to Estonia in order to continue promoting gambling companies in the future without legal repercussions.

This week, he was also convicted in the North Savo District Court for threats and defamation. Finnish broadcaster Yle has decided to publish Kärkkäinen’s name due to his significant public presence related to his streaming activities and the impact of social media influence as a relevant societal phenomenon.