Finnish Gambling Act enters parliament
The proposed legislation would end Finland’s state gambling monopoly and open a regulated market.
Finland.- The government has presented the new Finnish Gambling Act to parliament as it looks to move forwards with plans to end the monopoly of state-owned Veikkaus and open competitive regulated gambling in Finland from next year. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of the centre-right National Coalition Party (NCP) believes the move would improve player protection while increasing tax revenue from gambling.
The government hopes to open the window for Finland gambling licence applications on January 1 2026. The market would open 12 months later on January 1 2027, although some suggest that the launch could come earlier. That would depend on how long it takes for the bill to pass through parliament. It’s believed that there is broad support for market liberalisation, but there may be debate on some of the details.
The proposal includes plans for a new self-exclusion system, which would allow consumers to self-exclude from all operators. Operators would also be required to monitor play for signs of concerning behaviour. A new licensing and supervision authority would be created to oversee the market, and marketing would be permitted as long as it does not target minors.
Introducing the bill to parliament, minister of the interior Mari Rantanen said: “The aim of the bill has been to find a regulatory solution in which the regulation combating gambling harms would be balanced with the fact that gambling companies want to apply for a licence and that online gambling would be directed to a regulated gaming offering.”
By ending its state monopoly on gambling, Finland will follow similar moves taken by Denmark and Sweden in 2012 and 2019 respectively. The move will leave Norway as the last Scandinavian country with a state monopoly on gambling, which remains the preserve of Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. Høyre’s Tage Pettersen, who Focus Gaming News interviewed last week, is reasonably confident that he can convince his party to support calls to open the Norwegian market, but several Norwegian counties have already begun campaigning to defend Norsk Tipping’s monopoly.
Veikkaus prepares for competition
Veikkaus has already begun preparing for the proposed opening of Finland’s gambling market and has generally welcomed the move despite the layoffs it’s been making as it starts to restructure. It has recognised that channelisation to legal gambling is below target and could improve if there is more legal competition.
The plan is to split Veikkaus in two, with one company retaining a monopoly over Finland’s national lottery and retail gambling while the other company will compete with private operators in the online sector.
Veikkaus reported a decline in annual sales for 2024 and profits fell as it began investing for its future. It was also hit by a rise in lottery tax from 5 per cent to 12 per cent. Meanwhile, negotiations between Veikkaus and the Swedish totalisator horse racing gambling operator ATG over Finnish trotting have come to a standstill. The two operators had been in discussions aiming to increase Finnish trotting pools. Veikaus wants its Toto games to be the “home of Finnish trotting events” but it expects competition in horse racing betting after the new gaming reforms come into effect.
Jarkko Nordlund, director of online casino and betting at Veikkaus, said: “We must start investing in domestic horse racing venues and further enhance measures to increase their attractiveness. We have recently agreed on large-scale TV productions for the TotoTV visibility of Finnish trotting events and a long-term cooperation with Suomen Hippos on the visibility of the sport.”
The only area of Finland where Veikkaus does not have a monopoly over gambling is the autonomous Åland Islands, where the regional government’s gambling operator, Paf, provides services. Under the proposed new Finnish Gambling Act, Åland will continue to have its own gambling legislation. The opening of the Finnish market would allow the Åland Island’s Paf to apply for a Finnish licence.
