Finland online gambling regulations revealed
Operators had been calling for clarity over the player protection measures since Finland started taking online gambling licence applications.
Finland. The Ministry of the Interior has provided more clarity on the regulations that the successful applicants for online gambling licences in Finland will have to comply with when the market launches in July 2027. While the Finnish Gambling Act outline broad measures for the market, four new sets of draft regulations set out the finer details of implementation.
The proposals include limits on stakes and losses, as well as rules for gameplay features. A public consultation on the draft regulations has opened and will run until August 5, after which revisions could be made based on the feedback received.
For slots, there would be a ban on autoplay, and the minimum spin duration will be 2.5 seconds, with no option to speed up animations.
Operators would have to provide transparency on mechanics where player choices do not affect random results and must issue 15‑minute reminders, requiring players to confirm whether they wish to continue or log out (except in the case of peer‑to‑peer casino games). There would also be standardised prize‑claim deadlines.
As for stake and loss limits, these would be differentiated by both game type and player age. For online slots, players under 25 would face a €10 maximum stake per spin, rising to €20 for older players.
The government has also proposed compulsory return‑to‑player rates across product categories in a bid to ensure fairness. These would be set at 70 to 99.9 per cent for slots and casino table games, 55 to 80 per cent for online betting and 50 to 70 per cent for daily‑draw betting games.
Land-based gambling in Finland
The draft framework also sets out new regulations for the land-based gambling sector. A single land‑based casino will be permitted in Helsinki, opening from noon until 4am, while up to 60 gaming halls would be allowed nationwide.
There would be a 10,000 general cap on gaming machines in retail locations, with a maximum of 400 in the Helsinki casino. Gaming halls would be able to host up to 2,000 machines and 100 table games. Land‑based gambling would have a daily loss limit of €500 for physical slots, a monthly limit of €2,000 and an annual limit of €24,000.
The National Police Board has reported that around 50 licence applications have been submitted since it started taking applications for online gambling licences in March. However, several applicants had called for more clarity on player‑protection rules.
Antti Koivula, chief commercial officer of Hippos ATG, the joint venture between Sweden’s ATG and Suomen Hippos, noted that the new restrictions as now proposed as they stand for now are restrictive, but not as severely so as in Germany or the Netherlands.
