🇫🇮Finland gambling regulation

Legal framework at a glance

Finland has long operated a strict state monopoly. Since 2017, a single state-owned company, Veikkaus, has held exclusive rights to offer gambling in mainland Finland, with profits directed to culture, sport, science, youth work and social and health organisations. Åland has its own system through PAF.

The monopoly lost ground to offshore sites: by 2022, Veikkaus’s own leadership said more than 60% of online gambling had moved to unregulated markets. The government then committed to opening online casino and betting to licensed competition. Parliament approved the new Gambling Act on 16 December 2025.

Item	Position (October 2026)
Current supervisor	National Police Board
Future regulator	Lupa- ja valvontavirasto, from 2027
Online casino and betting	Monopoly now; licensed from July 2027
Lotteries, scratchcards, venue slots	Remain with Veikkaus
Self-exclusion	Veikkaus account; national register planned

The regulator

Until the new system starts, the National Police Board (Poliisihallitus) supervises lotteries and gambling and can prohibit the provision and marketing of illegal gambling. Under the reform, licensing and supervision move to the new Lupa- ja valvontavirasto (Licensing and Supervisory Agency), which is due to begin this work at the start of 2027 and will maintain a public list of licensed companies.

Licensing

The new law creates a partial multi-licence system:

• Opened to competition: online casino games (including online slots) and betting.
• Remaining monopoly: lottery-style number draws, scratchcards, physical slot machines and gaming halls, and Casino Helsinki.

Applications have been accepted since 1 March 2026, and licensed operations and marketing are due to begin in July 2027. Peluuri reports that 40 to 50 licensed operators are expected. Veikkaus is expected to separate its competitive online business from its monopoly activities. See gambling licensing models.

Online products — what is and isn’t legal

The autonomous region of Åland has its own gambling legislation and its own operator, PAF, and is outside the mainland reform. Until July 2027, only Veikkaus may legally offer online gambling to Finnish residents. Foreign operators without Finnish permission are illegal providers, and promoting them in Finland is prohibited. After July 2027, licensed operators will be able to offer online casino and betting, while lotteries and land-based machines stay under the monopoly.

Taxation

Veikkaus profits currently go to designated beneficiaries rather than through a conventional gambling tax. Under the reform, licensed operators will pay lottery tax on their gross gaming revenue. Players’ winnings will be tax-free only when won with a Finnish-licensed operator; winnings from operators outside the licensed system will become taxable. Because the details are new, readers should check the latest guidance from the Finnish Tax Administration and seek professional advice for individual cases. See gambling taxation compared.

Advertising and marketing rules

Today, Veikkaus marketing is strictly limited, and marketing of unlicensed operators is banned. From July 2027, licensed operators will be allowed to market their services, so overall gambling marketing is expected to increase. Bonuses for new customers will be banned, while moderate bonuses for existing customers will be permitted. See bonus and promotion restrictions.

Player-protection requirements

Veikkaus requires identification for all play and offers loss limits. Under the new law:

• Duty of care: operators must take steps against excessive gambling, though the law does not define specific measures, so practice will vary by operator.
• Limits: the law includes no mandatory loss limits; these may be set later by decree and would be operator-specific.
• Exclusion register: a central register will let players block themselves from all licensed operators.
• Harm register: THL will maintain a gambling harm register.

Peluuri and THL have long highlighted online slot-type games as among the highest-risk products, so how operators apply the new duty of care to them, and whether limits are later set by decree, will be closely watched. See responsible gambling obligations for operators.

Enforcement against unlicensed operators

The National Police Board can prohibit illegal gambling marketing. The licensing system is intended to channel players to licensed sites, backed by the new authority’s enforcement powers from 2027. See spotting unlicensed operators.

What this means for players

Until July 2027 nothing changes legally for Finnish players: Veikkaus is the only legal online provider, and foreign sites remain outside Finnish law, even if they are licensed elsewhere in the EU. From July 2027, players will be able to choose among licensed operators. Two practical changes matter most:

• Tax on winnings: under the new law, winnings will be tax-free only when won with a Finnish-licensed operator. Winnings from sites outside the licensed system will become taxable.
• Protection: only licensed operators will be bound by the new duty of care and the central exclusion register.

The Licensing and Supervisory Agency will maintain a public list of licensed companies. See how to check if a gambling site is licensed.

Recent developments and what to watch

• Licence awards: the first licensing decisions ahead of the July 2027 start.
• Exclusion register: launch date and identification method.
• Decrees: whether limits or further marketing rules are introduced by decree.
• Veikkaus restructuring: separation of competitive and monopoly businesses.

For practical help, see self-exclusion in Finland and Finnish support services.