Gambling Industry Organizations’ Arguments to Influence Deregulation of State Online Monopoly in Finland: Analysis of X Data

The objective of this study was to investigate gambling industry organizations’ arguments on X (formerly Twitter), as a lobbying strategy to influence deregulation of the state online gambling monopoly in Finland. Primary data were collected on X between January and April 2023 from the Finnish Gambling Association (n=155 tweets). The X data were analyzed by coding using Microsoft Excel and by thematic content analysis using a framework developed by the researchers. The results identified six argument categories: (1) promotional content in the form of self-promotion, (2) licensing system will enable offshore gambling companies to be taxed, (3) the current gambling model does not succeed in competition, (4) political support for the licensing system from Members of Parliament, (5) using other countries’ licensed models to advocate for the licensing system, and (6) licensing system will have a better chance to deal with gambling problems. The study concluded that X offered an opportunity for the Finnish Gambling Association to influence the deregulation of the state online gambling monopoly in Finland, which will be replaced with a licensing system from 2026 onwards.