Republic of Finland
Finland is the next Nordic monopoly to fall. Until 30 June 2027 the Lotteries Act (1047/2001) gives the state-owned Veikkaus Oy the exclusive right to organise gambling in mainland Finland. Parliament adopted a new Gambling Act on 16 December 2025, approved by the President on 16 January 2026, which opens betting, online casino games, online slots and online money bingo to licensed competition from 1 July 2027. Licence applications opened on 1 March 2026 at a fee of EUR 29,000, with B2C and B2B gambling software licences each running up to five years. Veikkaus keeps lottery games, scratch cards and physical slot machines and casino games. Licensing and supervision pass from the National Police Board to the new Finnish Supervisory Agency on 1 July 2027. Note that the Aland Islands regulate gambling separately from mainland Finland.
Gambling licence (B2C)
Gambling software licence (B2B)
The next 12 months are about the application queue: who files, who clears the fit-and-proper bar, and how the market lines up before the 1 July 2027 opening. The two open questions are the tax rate applied to licensees, which will set the channelisation ceiling, and how the new Supervisory Agency uses its enforcement powers against operators that keep serving Finnish players without a licence during the run-up.
Finland's state-owned operator Veikkaus has signalled ambitions to become a respected international gaming group by 2030, as its full-year 2025 results reveal declining domestic revenues and its B2B arm Fennica Gaming posts near-doubled turnover across 17 global markets all ahead of Finland's licensed market launch in July 2027.
Leading gambling operators SkillOnNet and Wildz Group have rejected Finland's proposed universal loss limits, warning that overly strict rules will drive players to the black market. Citing the failures of the German regulatory model, the companies argue that the new legal framework must remain competitive to ensure high channelisation rates when the market opens in 2027.
The conflict highlights the immense tension within the Nordic gambling sector as Finland prepares to dismantle its state monopoly. While Veikkaus maintains its actions are lawful, the investigation by the FCCA will determine whether an incumbent can legally fortify its position against future rivals before the market even opens.
Finland is scrambling to fix a regulatory oversight that turned gifted scratch cards into worthless bits of cardboard, all while preparing for the biggest gambling market liberalisation in its history.
Finnish Police (Poliisihallitus)
Ministry of the Interior of Finland
Finlex (Ministry of Justice of Finland) (translated)
Borenius Attorneys Ltd
ICLG (International Comparative Legal Guides)
