Finland social observer, Kelahas published an updated guide on how it will decide who receives social support and how much financial support should be provided in the first place, taking into account a person’s wins and losses in the game.
Kela adjusts screening process to help people with gambling problems
Previously, Kela only took into account a person’s personal data. gambling winnings and thus reduce the amount of social support offered to people on the basis of one-time winning transactions.
The watchdog now wants to take a more comprehensive approach that allows it to track gambling wins and losses over a longer period when determining who qualifies for financial help.
The National Social Security Institution also hopes to help players break bad habits that could lead to financial difficulties and help them access specialized resources.
The news comes as Finland moves towards a license-based market model, in which Veikkaus will cede its market dominance to new companies that meet regulatory requirements and pay licensing fees.
Commenting on changes to Kela’s welfare delivery process, Benefits Manager Marja-Leena Valkonen He said this in a translated statement:
“At Kela we don’t tell our clients how they should use their social assistance, but we are naturally concerned about low-income people spending their money on gambling. Welfare is a form of last resort financial assistance intended to pay for daily living expenses, such as rent and food. “We want to help those whose financial problems are exacerbated by gambling.”
Kela makes sure problem gamblers can get the help they need, if they agree
More importantly, Valkonen and Kela wanted to remind people that social help is available for people with gambling problems, since in many cases gambling problems are only identified when a person is facing a crisis.
According to Kel, about 5% of welfare recipients You will use at least a portion of these funds to support your gambling habit. However, Kela can help affected people by notifying services that can offer additional assistance. However, Kela cannot do this without the person’s consent.
Kela hopes this revised set of rules will help the social watch organization better focus on people who need help and help people overcome gambling problems.
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