Finland gambling reform bill enters parliament
Presented yesterday (20 March), the bill sets out a new-look gambling market for Finland. The main change in regulations would be opening up the country’s online gambling market to private operators, following in the footsteps of its Nordic peers Sweden and Denmark.
At present, Veikkaus holds a monopoly on online gambling, across lottery and online sports betting and casino games. Should the bill pass in its current form, this setup would stop by the end of 2026. Veikkaus will, however, keep exclusivity for lottery and scratchcards, as well as retail gaming machines and casino games.
Previous guidelines have said operators could apply for licences from 1 January 2026, when the new regulations officially come into effect. This would be with the view of the new-look market opening one year at the start of 2027. But some stakeholders have suggested the launch could happen earlier, thanks to the bill progressing to parliament quite quickly.
The government maintains that the reform would help reduce gambling harm in Finland. It said by allowing more approved operators to enter a wider market, this would reduce the number of consumers accessing illegal sites that do not offer the same protection measures as licensed providers.
“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,” minister of the interior Mari Rantanen said, upon introducing the bill to parliament.
Could the reform bill be passed by June?
The bill will now be forwarded to subcommittees in parliament for further reviews. While this is likely to see some modifications, these are not expected to slow progress by much.
In January, Mika Kuismanen, CEO of Rahapeliala Ry, said he believed the law could be approved by the end of June. This would mean a fairly quick turnaround in parliament.
However, local gaming lawyer Antti Koivula believes it will more likely be towards the autumn when parliament takes a vote on the bill.
“Minor modifications are expected before the parliament votes on its approval, likely in autumn 2025,” Koivula said on LinkedIn. “With broad political consensus on the need for reform, the vote is expected to be a formality.
“This marks a significant milestone for Finland’s igaming industry. The proposed legislation aims to dismantle the longstanding gambling monopoly and open the market for competition – bringing Finland in line with broader European market practices.”
What else will change in Finland?
As for other measures set out in the bill, these include allowing commercial operators to begin taking bets on horse racing. Previously, this was only permitted through Veikkaus as part of its monopoly arrangement.
The legal age of gambling would remain at 18, while all players would need to provide some form of identification to play. Consumers would also be able to self-exclude from all legal operators under a new scheme.
On the subject of gambling harms, operators would be required to monitor players for any concerning behaviour. In addition, licensees would need to put in place measures to prevent abuses and crimes related to gambling activities.
A new Licensing and Supervision Authority, which has also been proposed to parliament, would oversee the regulated market.
In terms of marketing, this would be allowed subject to restrictions set out in the bill. These include not targeting minors or otherwise vulnerable people with advertising, nor featuring minors in any marketing materials.