Finland has passed legislation that will introduce a regulated gambling system. Its sole monopoly will remain as an option, though the digital landscape will be opened up to numerous new providers.
While Europe has different laws regarding online gambling that change from country to country, it is generally acknowledged that a regulated market is the best approach. This prevents people from going elsewhere, allowing government bodies to promote responsible gambling, but crucially, raise valuable tax income. Finland has now adopted the same concept and will open its new regulated market in 2027.
At the end of 2025, it was announced that Finland’s longstanding single operator monopoly for gambling was coming to an end. This makes it the last EU country to embrace a regulated and licensed market. It will mean that Veikkaus is no longer the only option for players in the country. Around 95% of those in parliament voted in favour of this, and it is scheduled for a grand opening in July 2027.
The rest of the year will be spent consulting and building the framework. Licenses for domestic casinos opened on March 1st and must be submitted to the National Police Board. Several strict amendments were almost made to the bill at the last minute by the opposition party. These included increasing the legal gambling age and introducing tighter rules on marketing.
Although the market is taking applications for licenses, Veikkaus Oy will remain an option. However, while slots, table games, and bingo are open, they will retain control over lottery-style games. Scratch cards, physical table games, and slot machines will also remain in their domain.
The aim of this is to increase Finland’s channelisation rates. This is the number of players who are going to offshore or foreign casinos, as many Finnish players have turned to casinos based offshore, and even those in other EU countries. The Interior Ministry has been quite forthright about what this means: Lost tax money and weaker player safeguards. Surveys have shown that in the last ten years, Finland's rate has dropped to around 50% from 90%.
Estonia is a popular choice for players, with many accessing websites like Viron Kasinot. Ranking and reviewing Estonian casinos based on a range of factors like game selection, safety, and bonuses, they have proven invaluable. As they are EU casinos, there are several advantages not available to those playing in the current Finnish system. These include tax-free profits, speedy payment methods, and the most up-to-date technology with cutting-edge games.
There have already been some objections to the proposals and the framework, mainly due to discussions on how strict player protection protocols should be. This week, it was noted that current suggestions for player protection could undermine the Gambling Act.
Proposals have included a cross-operator, government-oversight loss limit register. At the heart of this is the idea that players could only lose a certain amount across all operators. They would not be able to reach limits at one casino, then move on to the next. Added to this are player control tools, utilising limits on deposits, playing time, play restrictions, and cooling-off periods.
Many operators have spoken out to warn of the dangers that such strict protocols, though well-intentioned, can bring. SkillOnNet noted, “Every time a customer is directed to look for a new gaming location, the risk of finding a site operating outside the system increases.” Backing them up was Wildz Group. They added that studies in Germany had shown that around 20% to 30% of gambling was sent to offshore, unregulated operators when it was found that limits on play were too harsh.
One further proposal has involved examining game mechanics that resemble gambling. The idea is that responsible gaming tools could be embedded in the game's design, enhancing the country's commitment to harm prevention. It would involve building the spending limits and session controls into the games themselves.
This will undoubtedly mean that developers have to tweak game design and mechanics to fit the Finnish market. This is not unheard of. In countries like England, certain features like autospins are banned from gaming to promote responsible wagering. This means Finland won't be excluded from the popular games provided to the rest of the globe. Instead, they may have later versions that facilitate government objectives.
In the next year, Finland must study the trials and errors of other European nations to see what is working and what isn’t. The UK itself has long had a regulated market, which buoys its sports and cultural sectors. Yet it has been a long slog to get to this point, increasing channelization rates. They can look to countries like the Netherlands to see how increasing know your customer restrictions have sent people offshore, and even how tax increases don’t always result in more taxable revenue.
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