Just over a month ago, the Finnish parliament voted on whether to move away from the long-standing monopoly system to a licensing system. The result was clear, with 158 MPs voting in favour of the change and only nine against it. The president still needs to confirm the law’s entry into force, but this is just a formality.
The market will open to competition on 1 July 2027, and companies can start applying for licences from 1 March 2026. The B2B licence application process opens on 1 July 2027 and will come into force from 1 July 2028. The move will bring an end to Veikkaus’ monopoly over the Finnish gambling industry.
Companies operating in the industry, either B2B or B2C, are naturally interested in what kind of operating environment the new law allows and whether it is worth considering Finland as a regulated market to expand into.
A good compromise
In general, the law creates a good operating environment for licensees, as the restrictions on advertising, marketing and sponsorship are moderate and the tax level, 22% of GGR, is also quite reasonable by European standards. However, the content of the law also reflects the perspectives of interest groups other than gambling companies.
All in all, the new law is a good compromise for all parties, with strong elements that protect players while still leaving freedom for licensed companies.
The general tone of the marketing regulation is liberal, posing no significant limitations to marketing channels. Marketing must be moderate in quantity, scope, visibility and frequency. In sponsorship, the law allows for extensive cooperation between operators and partners. The sponsored entity may display the operator’s name and logo on attire, social media and websites.
Sports arenas can also be named after the sponsor, with branding visible. During events, both the operator’s brand and games can be displayed. In out-of-home marketing, advertising is allowed with some restrictions. As an example, marketing should not be placed near early years education facilities.
Direct phone marketing (even with customer consent) is prohibited. Influencer marketing should be limited to the licence holder’s own website and social media accounts, and marketing targeted to minors is strictly prohibited. Affiliate marketing is also prohibited. However, this would not be interpreted as prohibited advertising in online news media, even if it includes a link directing to a gambling site, if the advertising content otherwise complies with the provisions of the law.
The law allows for moderate bonuses for established customers. Bonus offers can be bonus money or, for example, discounted or free entry tickets to events or other service or goods. Bonuses cannot be directly converted into cash, and a maximum wagering requirement of five times has been put in place.
The law requires operators to have robust responsible gambling processes, such as monitoring systems, duty of care responsibilities, self-exclusion tools and mandatory player-set deposit limits. It is noteworthy that there are no maximum loss limits in law, but those can be set by government statute.
In summary, the content of the law itself does not create an operating environment risk for licensed companies; the risk comes from how Finland manages to prevent the activities of unlicensed companies. If this is unsuccessful, and the channelling rate does not remain high enough, the content of the law will be changed.
Mika Kuismanen is the CEO of the Finnish Trade Association for Online Gambling. He previously worked as an executive vice-president and chief economist at the Federation of Finnish Enterprises, director at the Ministry of Finance and senior economist at the European Central Bank.
The post Finland’s monopoly is over, so what comes next? first appeared on EGR Intel.
Finnish Trade Association for Online Gambling CEO Mika Kuismanen outlines what operators and suppliers can expect from the Nordic country’s commercial gambling market in 2027 and beyond
The post Finland’s monopoly is over, so what comes next? first appeared on EGR Intel.