Is Gambling Legal in Finland?

Finland's gambling market is undergoing a significant transition. For years, a state-run monopoly under Veikkaus Oy defined the landscape, covering online casino games, sports betting, lottery, and retail slot machines. A new multi-licensing framework, passed by Parliament in December 2025 and in force since January 2026, opens fixed-odds and pari-mutuel betting, online casino games, online e-bingo, and online slots to private operators.

B2C licence applications opened on 1 March 2026, with the market launching on 1 July 2027. B2B licensing follows in 2028, at which point licensed B2C operators must use only licensed B2B providers. Lotteries, land-based casinos, and all other products remain under Veikkaus's exclusive licence.

Online Gambling in Finland

Regulatory Authority	Ministry of the Interior (policy and legislation); Gambling Administration of the National Police Board – "Arpajaishallinto" (supervision and enforcement)
Key legislation	Finnish Lotteries Act (1047/2001) Lottery Tax Act (552/1992) Government Decree on Games Operated by Veikkaus Oy (1414/2016) Act on Electronic Communication Services (917/2014) Act on Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (444/2017)
Allowed activities	State-owned Veikkaus Oy holds the exclusive right to offer all online gambling services in mainland Finland, including online casino games, sports betting, and lottery. Under the upcoming multi-licensing framework (operational from 2027), private operators will be permitted to offer fixed-odds betting, pari-mutuel betting, online casino games, online e-bingo, and online slots.
Prohibited activities	Private operators are not permitted to offer online gambling services under the current monopoly. Marketing of gambling by any entity other than Veikkaus is prohibited.
Taxation and fees	Taxation applicable to future private licensees will be governed by new legislation, the final terms of which have not yet been published.
Licence validity/duration	No licences are currently available to private operators. Under the upcoming framework, licences are expected to be valid for a maximum of five years, subject to regular annual reviews, with authority to review, suspend, or revoke.
Benefits of the market	Market opening and the window is now Finland is transitioning from a long-standing state monopoly to a competitive multi-licensing system, opening the door to private operators for the first time. The market has never previously been commercially open to private operators, making early entrants well placed to capitalise on first-mover advantages in a country where digital participation is high and players are already familiar with regulated, responsible-gambling-first environments.

Land-Based Gambling in Finland

Key legislation	Finnish Lotteries Act (1047/2001) Government Decree on Games Operated by Veikkaus Oy (1414/2016) Lottery Tax Act (552/1992)
Allowed activities	Land-based casino games, table games, and slots are permitted, all operating under the exclusive state monopoly granted to Veikkaus Oy.
Prohibited activities	Operation of land-based casinos by private operators Note: the Åland Islands operate independently under PAF's regional monopoly and are not covered by the mainland regulatory framework.
Taxation	Land-based casino games and slots are subject to the applicable rates under that Act; the rate for gambling service profits is 12%. Taxation applicable to any future private land-based operators would be determined by separate legislation.