Finland's 2027 Licensing Reform: Policy Implications for Europe by Pikakasinot
How a hybrid regulatory model may reshape channelisation, consumer protection, advertising oversight and market supervision
Helsinki, Finland, July 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Executive summary
Finland will open specified online betting, slot, casino and money-bingo products to licensed competition from 1 July 2027. Veikkaus will retain exclusive rights in product categories including lotteries, scratch cards and certain land-based games. The reform therefore creates a hybrid system rather than ending the monopoly in full. [1]-[3]
The policy case is tied to a practical gap between legal exclusivity and digital consumer behaviour. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare reported that 70% of people aged 15-74 in mainland Finland participated in gambling during 2023, 44% participated online and 7% used online services outside Veikkaus. The same study reported moderate-risk or problem gambling among 4.2% of the population. [7][8]
The central policy question is whether the licensed market can bring more online activity under Finnish supervision without increasing harm. That question should be assessed through transparent post-launch data on channelisation, offshore use, harm prevalence, self-exclusion and limit tools, advertising exposure, complaints, enforcement activity and tax receipts.
Key dates and indicators
|
1 July 2027 Licensed market opens for specified online products [1]-[3] |
70% Share of people aged 15-74 who participated in 2023 [7][8] |
|
44% Share who participated online in 2023 [7][8] |
4.2% Share experiencing moderate-risk or problem gambling in 2023 [7][8] |
Background to the reform
In 2017, Finland merged Veikkaus, the Slot Machine Association RAY and the horse-racing operator Fintoto into a single state-owned company. The merger consolidated most mainland Finnish gambling under one operator. [1][4]
The legal structure remained exclusive, but digital access allowed Finnish consumers to use services provided from outside the national system. Finnish law could restrict domestic operation and marketing, yet it could not remove cross-border online supply. The 2023 population study provides evidence that a measurable share of online participation occurred outside Veikkaus. [7][8]
The reform addresses that mismatch by bringing specified online products into a licensing framework. The policy objective is not simply to increase the number of legal suppliers. It is to extend Finnish supervision to a larger share of the activity already taking place online.
Evidence informing the policy change
Gambling participation remains widespread in Finland. According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 70% of people aged 15-74 in mainland Finland participated during 2023, representing approximately 2.5 million people. Participation was lower than the 78% reported for 2019 and had become more occasional. [7][8]
Online participation was substantial. The study reported that 44% of Finns gambled online in 2023. Seven percent used online services outside Veikkaus, representing approximately 251,000 people, with use more common among men and younger adults. [7][8]
The same study reported moderate-risk or problem gambling among 4.2% of the population, or approximately 151,000 people. The reported increase was particularly visible among men even as total participation declined. [7][8]
These figures do not establish the effects of a future licensing system. They do show that participation rates alone are an incomplete measure of consumer protection and that legal exclusivity does not necessarily place all online activity within national supervision.
Structure of the hybrid model
Competitive licences will cover betting, online slot games, online casino games and online money bingo. Veikkaus will retain exclusive rights over product categories including lottery-type games, scratch cards and certain land-based products. [1]-[3]
The structure can be understood as a product-by-product response to different market conditions. Online products are more exposed to cross-border access, while lottery-type and land-based products remain more closely connected to domestic distribution and existing state structures.
This hybrid approach may provide a useful policy reference for other European jurisdictions. Its value, however, will depend on measurable outcomes rather than on the legal design alone.
Policy consideration 1: Channelisation
Channelisation is the share of activity that takes place with locally licensed operators. It matters because supervision, consumer-protection tools, tax collection and enforcement are strongest within the licensed system.
Legal status and effective market coverage are not the same. A monopoly may retain exclusive domestic rights while consumers continue to use foreign services. Likewise, a licensing system may exist on paper without capturing a sufficient share of online activity.
Finland should therefore measure channelisation after launch rather than assume it. The licensed offer must be usable enough to attract consumers into the supervised market, while the regulatory framework must prevent competition from increasing harmful intensity.
Policy consideration 2: Consumer protection across operators
A monopoly can centralise safeguards, but those safeguards have limited reach when consumers use services outside the national system. Licensing can place more operators under Finnish rules, although it can also increase product availability and commercial communication.
The relevant choice is therefore between different systems of control, not simply between monopoly and competition. A coherent licensed market should apply common safeguards across operators, including reliable identification, deposit and loss controls, self-exclusion, intervention procedures, marketing restrictions and meaningful data reporting.
Supervision will also change in stages. The National Police Board remains responsible until 30 June 2027, after which the Finnish Supervisory Agency takes over licensing and supervision. From 1 July 2028, licensed operators must use software supplied by licensed providers. [1][2][5]
That staged framework extends regulation beyond consumer-facing operators to technology, payments, data, anti-money-laundering controls and the wider supply chain.
Policy consideration 3: Advertising oversight
Before the transition, only Veikkaus may market gambling services in mainland Finland. Under the new framework, licence holders will be permitted to market within the restrictions of the reformed Gambling Act. [1][2][6]
The policy challenge is to allow clear communication about licensed services without creating excessive exposure, targeting vulnerable groups or relying on inducements that conflict with harm-prevention objectives.
Post-launch monitoring should cover advertising volume, audience exposure, complaints, rule breaches and enforcement outcomes. Clear distinctions between factual information, brand advertising and promotional inducements will support consistent enforcement.
Policy consideration 4: Outcome-based evaluation
The number of licence applications will be visible, but it will not show whether the reform is meeting its public-policy objectives. A market can issue many licences and still underperform on channelisation, harm prevention or enforcement.
Finland should publish a post-launch scorecard based on pre-defined indicators. Relevant measures include the licensed share of online activity, changes in offshore use, participation by age group, prevalence of harm, use of self-exclusion and limit tools, advertising exposure, complaints, enforcement actions and tax receipts.
Independent evaluation should compare those results with a clear pre-launch baseline. The reform should be assessed over time rather than declared successful solely because the market opens on schedule.
Relevant European precedents
Finland is not the first European jurisdiction to move from an exclusive or restricted model toward online licensing. Denmark opened its licensed online market in 2012, Sweden re-regulated in 2019 and the Netherlands launched its regulated online market in 2021. [10]-[12]
Their official frameworks provide precedents in licensing, enforcement, self-exclusion, marketing control and monitoring. They do not provide a direct forecast for Finland because national institutions, market conditions and consumer behaviour differ.
Finland can use those earlier systems to identify implementation risks, establish data requirements before launch and avoid treating post-launch correction as a substitute for initial regulatory design.
Implications for Finnish consumers
For consumers, the most visible change will be greater legal choice from July 2027 in the product categories covered by the licensing system. Licensed domestic and international operators will be able to serve Finnish customers under national rules. [1]-[3]
Greater choice does not by itself guarantee greater safety. Consumers will need clear ways to distinguish Finnish-licensed services from providers operating outside the system. Licence verification, transparent terms, accessible safer-gambling tools and reliable dispute procedures will therefore be important.
Third-party information services also have a responsibility to present licence status, ownership, payment security, withdrawal terms, safer-gambling controls and complaint procedures accurately. Factual disclosure is more useful than promotional framing.
Implications for licensed operators
The licensing framework creates operational and compliance obligations for companies entering the Finnish market. Operators will need Finnish-language customer service, secure payment processes, transparent terms, robust compliance systems and products designed within the limits of the new regulatory environment.
Consumer protection should be integrated into service design rather than treated as a legal disclaimer. Identification, limits, intervention processes, withdrawals and complaint handling will shape both regulatory performance and consumer trust.
Operators should also expect the framework to evolve as post-launch evidence becomes available. Systems capable of producing reliable regulatory data and adapting to enforcement guidance will be better positioned to meet those obligations.
Wider policy implications for Europe
Finland's reform does not establish that monopoly systems are inherently ineffective or that licensing automatically produces better outcomes. It demonstrates that digital access can reduce the practical coverage of a legally exclusive model.
For other European jurisdictions, the relevant principle is that regulation should address the market consumers actually use. Where cross-border services are accessible, public authorities need effective enforcement tools, credible licensed alternatives or a combination of both.
Finland has an opportunity to contribute evidence on a second-generation hybrid model. That contribution will depend on transparent reporting, independent evaluation and a willingness to adjust the framework when outcomes diverge from policy objectives.
Conclusion
Over the past decade, Finland's legal monopoly remained intact while a portion of online activity occurred beyond its direct supervision. The licensing reform scheduled for 1 July 2027 is intended to reduce that gap while preserving Veikkaus exclusivity in other product categories.
The key test is whether the new system improves channelisation and regulatory reach without increasing harm. Neither monopoly nor licensing protects consumers by itself. Outcomes depend on enforceable rules, reliable data, responsible product design and a regulator able to act quickly.
Finland's experience will be most useful to Europe if the reform is judged against transparent public-policy measures rather than licence counts, market-entry announcements or commercial activity alone.
Methodology and editorial note
| This article synthesises publicly available official information and population research. It does not present original survey data. Statistical figures and implementation dates are attributed to the sources listed below. Interpretive passages are editorial policy analysis and should not be read as empirical findings beyond those sources. |
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Sources
[1] Ministry of the Interior, Finland. Reform of the gambling system. Official source
[2] Ministry of the Interior, Finland. Questions and answers on gambling system reform. Official source
[3] Finnish Government. Finland to open some gambling services to competition, 15 January 2026. Official source
[4] Ministry of the Interior, Finland. Gambling. Official source
[5] National Police Board of Finland. Gambling. Official source
[6] National Police Board of Finland. Marketing of gambling. Official source
[7] Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Gambling statistics and Finnish Gambling 2023 population study. Official source
[8] Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Population study: attitudes and gambling behaviour in 2023. Official source
[9] Peluuri. The Finnish gambling system. Official source
[10] Swedish Gambling Authority. Official regulator website. Official source
[11] Danish Gambling Authority. Official regulator website. Official source
[12] Netherlands Gambling Authority. Official regulator website. Official source
Responsible participation
| Gambling involves financial risk and can cause harm. People should set limits, avoid chasing losses and seek help when participation no longer feels controlled. In Finland, support is available through Peluuri. [9] |
Media contact Company name: Pikakasinot.com Address: Itäkatu 1-5, D 217 00930 Helsinki Email: Info@pikakasinot.com Phone: +358 46 6426278 Media contact person: Joel Karhu
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