Finnish Gambling Act published following presidential approval
The new framework will create a new Finnish gambling regulator to oversee competitive licensed online gambling from July 2027.
Finland.- The new Finnish Gambling Act has been published following presidential approval. The legislation provides a comprehensive framework to introduce regulated online gambling in Finland from July 2027.
Passed by Parliament in December, the document outlines provisions covering licensing, oversight, and player protection, with objectives to safeguard consumers, curb criminal activity and mitigate gambling-related harm.
The Finnish Gambling Act applies to gambling offered within Finland or directed at Finnish residents, with limited exceptions for private social play and certain maritime or aviation contexts. At its core, it introduces a dual licensing system.
Exclusive licences (up to two in total) are reserved for state-owned companies and cover lotteries and land-based betting and slot machines. These will almost certainly go to the existing state-controlled monopoly operator Veikkaus, which is to be split in two, with one part of the company to retain its monopoly operations.
Open licences may be issued to private operators for activities such as fixed-odds and variable-odds betting, online casino games, virtual betting and electronic slots. Software providers will also subject to licensing, with strict bans on unlicensed products.
Player protection measures include identity checks for personal gaming account. Every login and transaction must be authenticated to prevent money laundering and underage gambling. This will most likely use Finland’s likely Bank-ID authentication technology.
Electronic gambling will be restricted to permanent residents, and players will have to set daily and monthly spending limits, while self-exclusion tools will allow them to block access instantly or for longer periods. Credit-based play, free games, and aggressive promotions will be prohibited, with only tightly controlled bonus schemes permitted.
Advertising on the regulated Finnish gambling market will also be tightly regulated. It must remain moderate, avoid targeting minors or vulnerable groups and cannot portray gambling as a solution to financial or social issues. Direct marketing will require explicit consent, and sponsorships will be restricted to avoid exposure in youth-oriented settings.
New Finnish gambling regulator
As for regulatory oversight, responsibility will shift from the National Police Board (Poliisihallitus) to a new National Supervisory Authority under the Lupa- ja valvontavirasto (Permit and Supervision Agency). The new regulator possess far broader powers than its predecessor. It will be empowered to issue licences, enforce compliance, collect data and impose penalties.
Sanctions will include fines of up to 4 per cent of turnover (capped at €5m for companies, and €3,000–€40,000 for individuals. The ultimate sanction will be licence revocation, which may be triggered by repeated offences, failure to pay supervision fees,or serious breaches of player safety rules.
The regulator will also have the power to order the removal of online content related to unlicensed gambling offerings. It will be able to order service providers to remove marketing material from unlicensed operators and, in the most severe cases, order the blocking of a domain name.
The body will be funded directly by the sector via licensed operators’ annual supervision fee, called valvontamaksu. The size of the fee will vary, with a tiered structure based on gross gaming revenue so that the largest operators pay the most.
Most provisions take effect on July 1 2027, though licensing preparations and international cooperation rules will begin on March 1 2026. Until mid‑2027, the National Police Board will remain the competent authority during the transition.
