Finland’s Health and Welfare Institute raises concerns over plans for online gambling market
Finland’s government plans to open a competitive regulated gambling market in 2027.
Finland.- The Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) has raised concerns about the government’s plans to end Veikkaus’s monopoly over gambling in Finland. The research agency has warned that the proposed competitive licensing framework “does not guarantee better protections” for consumers and puts industry revenues above public health interests.
The THL acknowledged the deficiencies in the current situation, which sees unlicensed operators control around half of online gambling in Finland. However, it said that a proposal to remove Veikkaus from online gambling could increase problem gambling rates.
The body cited its own latest study, which suggests that over 150,000 people in Finland, 4.2 per cent of the population, suffer from problem gambling or are classified as “at-risk”. That’s a rise from 3 per cent in the previous year. It urged the government to remove or limit the most addictive and fast-paced online gambling games if it goes ahead with the launch of competitive online gambling.
Finland gambling reforms
Finland’s Ministry of the Interior has recently completed a consultation on plans to open the gambling market to competition in 2027. It plans to present a draft bill in the spring 2025 parliamentary session.
The ministry said the draft bill would aim to “prevent and reduce gambling disadvantages and to improve the channelisation of demand to the legally regulated gambling system”. A new gambling regulator would be created to oversee licensing, supervision and the creation of a centralised self-exclusion database. It would charge annual fees for both operators and suppliers.
Operators would be able to apply for licences from the first quarter of 2026, while suppliers would be able to seek software provider licences from early in 2027. From 2028, operators would only be allowed to offer games from software providers licensed in Finland.
Veikkaus has already begun preparing for the end of its monopoly. It has closed Casino Tampere and several gaming arcades, and it plans to split its lottery and land-based gambling business from its online gambling offerings. However, the government has suggested that it may sell its stake in the online gambling business.
