Finland’s Gambling Act 2027: Key Provisions and Requirements

Parliamentary Approval and Legal Status

The Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) passed the new Gambling Act in December 2025 with a vote of 158 in favour and 9 against — a 94% majority that reflects the cross-party consensus behind the reform. President Alexander Stubb signed the Act into law on 16 January 2026.

The legislation represents the most comprehensive overhaul of Finnish gambling regulation in the country’s history and is widely considered the most ambitious gambling reform in Nordic history. It replaces the Veikkaus state monopoly with a multi-operator licensing framework, introduces a new tax model based on gross gaming revenue, and establishes a far-reaching set of player protection and marketing requirements.

Licensing Framework

The Act creates a formal licensing structure that distinguishes between operators serving consumers directly (B2C) and companies supplying technical services to operators (B2B). The B2B licence category will come into force in July 2028, allowing time for the supply-side ecosystem to adapt.

Provision	Detail
Licence types	B2C (operators), B2B (suppliers from July 2028)
Application fee	€29,000
Licensing authority	Finnish Lottery Inspectorate (transfers to Lupa- ja valvontavirasto)
Applications opened	March 2026
First licences expected	Autumn 2026
Market opening	1 July 2027
Expected applicants	40–50 operators

Applications for B2C licences opened in March 2026 through the Finnish Lottery Inspectorate (Poliisihallitus, Arpajaishallinto), which will transfer its gambling supervisory functions to the new integrated licensing authority, Lupa- ja valvontavirasto, as part of broader public administration reforms. The first licences are expected to be granted in autumn 2026, ahead of the market opening on 1 July 2027.

Industry analysts expect between 40 and 50 operators to apply, drawing from the international online gambling market as well as Nordic-focused operators already familiar with the Finnish player base. The application fee of €29,000 signals that the regulator intends to focus on serious, well-capitalised applicants.

Taxation and Financial Requirements

The Act introduces a gross gaming revenue (GGR) tax of 22%, replacing the previous model under which Veikkaus transferred a portion of its profits directly to the Finnish state and to social causes. Under the new system, all licensed operators will pay the same GGR tax rate, creating a level playing field.

• GGR tax rate: 22%, applied to all licensed operators
• Model change: Replaces the Veikkaus state payment arrangement
• Financial stability: Operators must demonstrate adequate financial resources at the time of application and on an ongoing basis
• Player fund segregation: Player deposits must be held in accounts separate from operational capital, protecting funds in the event of operator insolvency
• Maximum penalty: 4% of annual turnover or €5 million, whichever is the higher amount

The penalty framework gives the regulator meaningful enforcement leverage. A 4% turnover penalty for a mid-sized operator generating €50 million in annual revenue equates to a €2 million fine — a figure sufficient to deter regulatory non-compliance without threatening the viability of compliant operators.

Player Protection Requirements

Player protection is at the heart of the Act. Finland has deliberately gone further than Sweden’s 2019 re-regulation on several dimensions, seeking to address the shortcomings identified in the Swedish model before the Finnish market opens.

Measure	Requirement
Player identification	Mandatory at registration; 100% identified play
Loss limits	Mandatory daily and monthly limits set by the player
Time reminders	Required after defined play periods
Self-exclusion	Connected to a centralised national register
Panic button	Immediate play suspension required on all platforms
Cooling-off period	Mandatory waiting period before any limit increase takes effect

The requirement for 100% identified play eliminates anonymous gambling, a significant departure from the pre-reform era when unlicensed offshore operators routinely allowed play without identity verification. Every registered account must be linked to a verified identity before any wagering is permitted.

The centralised self-exclusion register means that a player who excludes themselves from one licensed operator is automatically excluded from all licensed operators. This closes a critical gap that existed in Sweden, where players could self-exclude from one operator and immediately open an account elsewhere.

The panic button — a one-click mechanism that suspends all gambling activity immediately — must be accessible on every platform and device through which a licensed operator offers services.

Marketing Restrictions

Finland has introduced some of the strictest gambling advertising rules in Europe. The Act permits advertising in principle but subjects it to extensive restrictions designed to prevent harm and remove incentives that have historically driven players towards the unregulated market.

• Advertising to minors: Entirely prohibited, regardless of medium or context
• Affiliate marketing: Banned — operators may not pay third parties on a performance or referral basis
• Influencer marketing: Banned — operators may not use influencers or content creators to promote their services
• Welcome bonuses: Banned for new customers — operators may not offer sign-up bonuses or free bet promotions to acquire new players
• Responsible gambling messaging: All advertising must include mandated responsible gambling content
• At-risk player blocking: Operators must identify players showing signs of problem gambling and block marketing communications to those individuals

The ban on affiliate marketing is particularly significant. Across Europe, affiliate programmes have been the primary channel through which online gambling operators acquire customers. Finland’s decision to prohibit this model entirely distinguishes it from every other licensed European market. Operators will need to develop compliant customer acquisition strategies based on brand advertising rather than performance-based referral networks.

The ban on welcome bonuses removes a tool that operators in other markets have used aggressively to compete for new customers. This restriction is intended to reduce impulse-driven account creation and limit the financial risk to new players in the early stages of their gambling activity.

Payment and Access Controls

The Act formalises and extends the enforcement tools introduced in recent years to restrict access to unlicensed operators. Finland began blocking payments to unlicensed gambling sites in 2023 — before the Act was passed — giving the payment service provider (PSP) blocking mechanism an established operational footing.

• PSP blocking: Active since 2023; payment processors must verify that any gambling operator they serve holds a valid Finnish licence
• DNS blocking: The regulatory authority can require internet service providers to block domain-level access to unlicensed gambling sites
• Payment verification duty: Payment processors carry an affirmative obligation to confirm licence status before processing gambling-related transactions
• Financial flow restriction: Payments to unlicensed operators can be blocked at the point of transaction, cutting off revenue to black-market sites

The combination of PSP blocking and DNS blocking gives Finland a dual enforcement mechanism that most other European markets lack. Denmark achieved channelisation of 85–90% within three years of its 2012 re-regulation without either of these tools. Finland’s enforcement toolkit may allow it to reach or exceed that level more quickly.

B2B Licensing from July 2028

From July 2028, all companies supplying gambling software, platforms, or technical infrastructure to Finnish-licensed operators must hold a separate B2B licence. The B2B licensing requirement covers a broad range of suppliers:

• Game developers — studios supplying slot, table game, and live casino content
• Platform providers — companies providing the technical infrastructure on which licensed operators run their services
• Payment processors — PSPs and payment technology suppliers serving the licensed market
• Data analytics suppliers — companies providing player data analysis, CRM, and responsible gambling monitoring tools

The B2B licensing framework creates regulatory oversight of the entire gambling supply chain, not just the consumer-facing operators. This is intended to ensure that player protection standards are embedded throughout the ecosystem, from the game mechanics designed by studios to the data systems used to identify at-risk players.

Channelisation Target and Enforcement Strategy

The Act sets a channelisation target of 90% — meaning that nine out of every ten euros wagered by Finnish residents should flow through licensed operators. This is an ambitious goal. Denmark, which is often cited as the most successful European re-regulation, achieved 85–90% channelisation within three years of opening its market in 2012.

Finland’s stricter enforcement toolkit may allow it to match or exceed the Danish result. The combination of PSP blocking, DNS blocking, and taxation incentives — winnings at unlicensed operators are subject to income tax, while winnings at licensed operators remain tax-free — creates a multi-layered system of incentives and deterrents designed to keep players within the regulated market.

“Finland’s Gambling Act sets a new European benchmark. No other country combines this level of marketing restriction with this breadth of enforcement powers. The ban on affiliate marketing alone distinguishes Finland from every other licensed European market.”

— Tommi Korhonen, CEO, Bonusetu.media