Finland’s government has submitted a bill on its proposed new gambling framework to the country’s parliament, raising hopes of hitting online gambling trade body Rahapeliala Ry’s target of passing laws by mid summer.
I gaming business reports
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.
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