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Finland opens its online casino and betting market on 1 July 2027

Finland's new Gambling Act ends Veikkaus' online monopoly on 1 July 2027. The licences, the 22% tax, strict marketing rules, player protection and the questions still open.

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Written by Steffen Fonvig
Published Last updated
Contents7

Finland is ending the state-owned Veikkaus monopoly on online gambling. Under the country's new Gambling Act, licensed private companies will be allowed to offer online casino games, online slots, sports betting and online bingo from 1 July 2027, while Veikkaus keeps exclusive rights over lotteries, scratch cards and land-based machines. The licence window is already open, and the rules on tax, marketing and player protection are now largely known. This article sets out what is changing, the key numbers, what it means for players and what is still undecided.

What changes on 1 July 2027

The Finnish Government announced in January 2026 that the President had confirmed the new Gambling Act, with most of its provisions entering into force on 1 July 2027. From that date, the following move from a monopoly to a licensing system:

  • online casino games and online slots,
  • betting games, including sports betting,
  • online money bingo.

Veikkaus keeps its monopoly on lottery-type games, scratch cards, and physical slot machines and casino games.

Companies have been able to apply for licences from the National Police Board since 1 March 2026. From 1 July 2027 a new body, the Finnish Supervisory Agency, takes over licensing and supervision. Gambling licences can be granted for up to five years and renewed.

Key facts
Market opens 1 July 2027
What opens Online casino and slots, betting, online bingo
What stays with Veikkaus Lotteries, scratch cards, land-based slot machines and casino games
Licence applications Open since 1 March 2026, to the National Police Board
Regulator from July 2027 Finnish Supervisory Agency
Applications so far 24 in March 2026 (reported); about 50 by early June 2026 (Yle, via Helsinki Times)
Expected entrants 40 to 60 companies, according to an estimate by Veikkaus' chief executive
Tax 22% lottery tax on gambling margin (stakes minus winnings)
Annual supervision fee €4,000 to €434,000, depending on gaming revenue
Licence length Up to five years, renewable

Marketing rules

The Act allows marketing on television, radio and in newspapers, and on an operator's own website and social media accounts, but only on a non-interactive basis. Interactive marketing on social media is not allowed, and neither are influencer marketing or direct marketing by phone. According to law firm Borenius, marketing through any channel the law does not list, including affiliate marketing, is prohibited. Gambling may not be marketed in channels aimed at minors or at events intended for minors.

Bonuses are tightly limited. Trade reporting describes the final rules as allowing only moderate bonuses offered equally to all customers in an existing relationship: no sign-up offers, no bonuses tied to how long or how much someone plays, nothing convertible to cash, and a cap on wagering requirements. The detailed guidance is still to be published, so the exact limits may change.

Why Finland is doing this

The main stated aim is to bring players back to a regulated market. The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority has estimated that around half of Finnish online gambling spending goes to offshore operators. Under the monopoly, those companies could not be licensed in Finland. Licensing is meant to make the legal offer competitive enough that players choose it, while keeping player-protection duties in place.

For scale: Veikkaus reported group sales revenue of €936.3 million for 2025, and its betting and online casino business is reported to have generated gross gaming revenue of €292 million that year.

What changes for players

Licensed operators, from July 2027. Until then, Veikkaus remains the only company licensed to offer online casino games and betting in Finland. No private operator holds a Finnish licence yet, and an application is not a licence, so a site claiming to be "licensed in Finland" before July 2027 is not telling the full story.

Player protection is built in. Every licensed player will have to be identified, the age limit stays at 18, players will be able to exclude themselves from all licensed operators through a central register, and they will be able to set daily and monthly limits on the money they transfer to gambling. According to Helsinki Times, there will be no central loss limit: limits will be set at operator level. Detailed responsible-gambling guidance is still being finalised.

Check the licence before you play. Once the market opens, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will be the authority to check against. Our guide on how to choose a safe online casino explains what to look for in any market.

Open questions

  • The black market. The reform depends on players choosing licensed sites. How effectively Finland can act against unlicensed operators, through payment blocking or other tools, will be tested after July 2027.
  • Final responsible-gambling rules. The detailed guidance on limits, bonuses and monitoring is still to be confirmed.
  • The marketing balance. The ban on affiliate and influencer marketing goes further than Denmark and Sweden did when they opened their markets, according to Helsinki Times. Whether that helps or hinders channelling players to licensed sites will only become clear once the market is running.
  • Licence decisions. Applications filed in March are expected to take around six months to process, so the first decisions, and the final list of operators, are still to come.

For our view on gambling safely in any market, see our responsible gambling page, or browse more news.

Sources