Finland Gambling Regulations: A guide

If you're a compliance professional at a gambling operator or supplier evaluating Finland, you're probably weighing whether this newly liberalised market is worth moving into.

With the passage of the new Gambling Act, Finland is shifting from a state monopoly to an open licensing system. Applications for operator licences opened on March 1st, 2026, with the market set to welcome licensed competition on July 1st, 2027. 

This marks an exciting opportunity for online gambling operators and suppliers to apply and prepare for entrance into the Finnish market. However, as a compliance professional working in gambling, it also means navigating:

• A brand-new licensing framework with substantial documentation requirements to work through
• Transition-period uncertainties, with secondary rules and implementation details still being finalised
• The risk that, by the time your internal analysis is complete, the regulatory picture has changed

To help cut through the noise and help you figure out how to expand into Finland, this guide will break down what compliance professionals need to know about Finland's gambling regulations in 2026, as well as how Vixio can help you stay on top of regulatory updates to make a well-informed entry decision.

In this article:

• What you need to know about Finland's gambling regulations in 2026
  
• 1. Finland has two license types with two different timelines
• 2. Expect a flat tax rate and some notable fees
• 3. Technical requirements are still taking shape 
• 4. Marketing is permitted, but with tight constraints
• 5. Loss limits and player interventions are under debate 
• 6. There are still questions over how implementation will unfold
• How Vixio helps you get ahead in Finland’s gambling market

Vixio gives gambling operators and suppliers an easy way to track regulatory developments and understand what new rules mean in practice. If Finland is on your radar for 2026, book a demo to find out how Vixio can accelerate your research and help you confidently make expansion decisions.

What you need to know about Finland's gambling regulations in 2026

For decades, Finland’s gambling market operated under a state monopoly, with Veikkaus holding exclusive rights across virtually all forms of gambling. With the new Gambling Act, though, that model is being dismantled. 

A new licensing regime will open the market to private operators for the first time, covering sports betting, online slots, online casino games, and online money bingo. This liberalisation is targeted at the online and digital segment, with physical slot machines and land-based casino operations continuing under a separate exclusive state licence.

Applications for the new licences are already open, with the market launching for approved operators on July 1st, 2027. 

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Finland has two license types with two different timelines

The Finnish framework differentiates between iGaming operators and the suppliers that power them, with each category subject to its own licensing track.

• Gambling licenses cover operators planning to offer betting, online slots, online casino, and online money bingo products to Finnish players. Applications for these licenses opened on March 1st, 2026, with the earliest permitted launch date being July 1st, 2027.
• Gambling software licenses apply to any business involved in developing, supplying, or customising gambling software used by licensed operators. The application window for this license opens July 1st, 2027 – the same date the market launches. 

Both licence types are valid for up to five years. Worth noting, too, is a key milestone in 2028.

From July 1st, 2028, licensed operators will only be permitted to run their Finnish-facing products on software sourced from a licensed gambling software provider. That gives operators and their tech partners roughly 12 months post-launch to achieve full compliance across the supply chain.

2. Expect a flat tax rate and some notable fees

Finland has kept things relatively simple on the tax side. A flat 22% tax on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) will be applied equally to licensed private operators and Veikkaus in its remaining exclusive-rights verticals. GGR is calculated as stakes minus winnings.

For licensing costs, expect a €29,000 application fee upfront, plus €1,120 for any subsequent amendments. Annual supervisory fees will also kick in based on realised GGR.

3. Technical requirements are still taking shape 

Finland's technical framework is still taking shape, though there have been a few updates.

Two draft technical regulations covering gaming system security and independent randomness checks were notified to the European Commission in late 2025 and are due to take effect on January 1st, 2027. A first draft of binding reporting regulations was published by the National Police Board in February 2026, with further technical rules expected to follow throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the core rules around game design, including maximum stake sizes, minimum round durations, autoplay restrictions, and time-based player protection tools, are set to be established later by the Ministry of the Interior.

In other words, operators and suppliers will need to build flexibility into their roadmaps and keep an eye on emerging regulations closely.

4. Marketing is permitted, but with tight constraints

Finland's open licensing model does not mean a free-for-all on advertising. In fact, the new Gambling Act bans operators from employing affiliate marketing, influencer promotions, and acquisition bonuses.

Additionally, social media activity is confined to operators' own accounts on a non-interactive basis, and all content must remain moderate in tone and frequency. Responsible gambling messaging is required; depictions of gambling as a solution to personal problems and the normalisation of excessive play are prohibited. Operators must also avoid placements likely to reach minors or vulnerable persons.

Beyond these rules, operators may also run into some societal limitations regarding marketing in Finland. The country has a limited pool of experienced gambling-industry marketers, finite advertising channels, and a limited cultural appetite for the high saturation of gambling ads common in more mature markets.

These limitations matter given that Finland’s channelisation rates across digital channels dropped from around 90% to 50% under the monopoly, with unlicensed offshore platforms dominating Finnish-language search. Winning those players back (with fewer acquisition tools than comparable markets) will be a major challenge of the market's early years.

5. Loss limits and player interventions are under debate 

For many in Finland, gambling is seen as a public health issue, and the country’s regulatory approach reflects that. The new act requires operators to take proactive steps to prevent harm, but exactly what that looks like in practice is still being worked out.

Current policy discussions include a proposed six-tier intervention model, which would see escalating responses – pop-up warnings, account freezes, annual loss caps – triggered at defined thresholds.

For a sense of where this could land, Finland's autonomous Åland Islands offer a precedent. Paf, the state-controlled operator there, introduced a universal annual loss limit of €30,000 in 2018 and has been steadily reducing it ever since. The cap now sits at €15,000 as of early 2026, with the operator publicly committed to bringing it down further toward €8,000 over time.

That trajectory gives us hints at the cultural and regulatory trends at play in the broader Finnish market. Operators should expect player protection requirements to be meaningful and potentially to tighten over time.

6. There are still questions over how implementation will unfold

Finland's new gambling framework is relatively broad, which means the finer details will be resolved as implementation gets underway. Legislators can't anticipate every scenario, and the expectation is that issues will be addressed as they arise rather than preempted in the Act itself.

One significant transition to watch is the shift in supervisory authority. Currently, the National Police Board oversees the state monopoly. Once licensed operators go live in July 2027, responsibility passes to a newly created Finnish Supervisory Agency, which will handle licensing, compliance, and enforcement going forward. How the handover will play out in practice remains to be seen.

Even the market opening date of July 1st, 2027, tells a story about what can impact decisions. The date was pushed back to July in part due to concerns that a flood of new gambling advertising could crowd out political campaign content ahead of the Spring 2027 federal elections. It's a small detail, but it illustrates the kind of factors that may shape how this market develops.

Staying close to regulatory developments through 2026 and into 2027 will be essential for successfully entering this new market.

How Vixio helps you get ahead in Finland’s gambling market

Vixio is a specialist regulatory intelligence platform trusted by gambling operators and suppliers for more than 20 years. Our platform tracks gambling regulation across global markets, combining AI-powered monitoring with a team of in-house analysts who interpret, contextualise, and pull actionable insights from complex updates.

Here’s what you can expect with Vixio:

Cut months of market assessment work down to days with Vixio’s Country Reports and Technical Compliance Tool

For compliance teams evaluating a new market, the groundwork is enormous.

Between licence structures and tax rates, local compliance costs and enforcement culture, gathering intelligence manually means months of sifting through official documents, finding local experts, and synthesising information that may be out of date by the time it’s ready to be presented. That doesn't even account for the pressure from leadership to deliver clear recommendations quickly.

Vixio cuts that process down significantly.

Our Country Reports condense each market's complex regulations into a clear, structured roadmap that includes local compliance obligations and even step-by-step guidance for navigating applications. For Finland specifically, these reports are reliable reference points as technical rules and supervisory arrangements continue to develop.

For deeper technical due diligence, Vixio's Technical Compliance Tool maps jurisdiction-specific requirements across areas like KYC and AML obligations, information security standards, reporting systems, and player account management, covering both online and land-based verticals.

When you need quick answers to specific questions, VIQ, our AI-powered regulatory assistant, draws on expert-vetted sources to deliver plain-English responses in seconds. It can also generate compliance content directly, such as internal memos, policy drafts, and onboarding checklists.

Together, these tools let you turn regulatory complexity into structured, executive-ready briefings that help your team make informed expansion decisions.

Get the depth of local regulatory expertise without the cost or wait

Local firms can be invaluable for nuanced, context-rich regulatory advice. But engaging them can come with some drawbacks, including:

• High costs that are hard to justify before you've even committed to a market
• Slow turnaround times and even slower cross-market comparisons that require pulling in experts from multiple jurisdictions 

Vixio is built to give you the best of both worlds: the authority of specialist expertise, delivered at the speed your compliance team actually needs. 

The Data Hub is a searchable library of expert-written regulatory analysis spanning 200+ jurisdictions and backed by more than four million verified data points. Each document is produced by Vixio's regulatory specialists, with structured intelligence you can apply directly to compliance decisions and market comparisons.

If you need deeper support, Vixio’s Expert Services provide direct access to award-winning lawyers, analysts, and journalists. That includes monthly analyst calls, bespoke research reports, and strategic market summaries for board-level audiences.

What sets Vixio apart is our two decades of relationship-building with regulators, law firms, and industry journalists across global markets. Our experts take the extra step of going to primary sources, obtaining direct quotes, and surfacing details that aren’t available from public documents alone. The result is regulatory intelligence you can trust to be accurate, current, and comprehensive, not just a summary of what’s already public.

Stay ahead of regulatory change with automated real-time intelligence

Entering a market mid-transition means the rules will keep changing after you've committed – and in Finland's case, that means lots of changes in a short timeline. Trying to track all of that manually isn't realistic for most compliance teams, but a regulatory intelligence platform can help.

Vixio provides real-time intelligence for the global gambling industry, tracking relevant trends and challenges across 200+ jurisdictions and 1,400+ regulatory authorities. Key features include:

• Updates colour-coded by priority – actionable, indicative, or informative – so your team always knows what requires immediate attention and what to file for later
• Customisable watchlists and automated alerts to help you stay on top of specific authorities, topics, or product types
• A personalised regulatory calendar that flags time-sensitive updates as they happen

When something does require action, Vixio Workspace helps you organise your response. 

Our triage engine does the heavy lifting, filtering high volumes of updates down to those that actually matter for your business. Everything lands in one place for task assignment, progress tracking, and team collaboration.

And as your team works through it, every review, decision, and action is logged automatically. You get a regulator-ready audit trail without additional administrative effort.

Vixio: Trusted by 500+ organisations

Here's how some of the industry's leading operators and suppliers are putting our platform to use:

Playtech, one of the iGaming industry's leading platform and content providers, relies on Vixio as a first stop for market assessment and regulatory research across every jurisdiction it operates in. 

For their Head of Regulatory Affairs, Charmaine Hogan, the value of Vixio is straightforward: “You find everything in one place. One click, and from there, you go everywhere. This should be your first stop shop to start gathering your information and understanding the market.”

Play'n GO, the global online slots supplier operating across 25+ jurisdictions, also relies on Vixio for day-to-day compliance monitoring and new market evaluation. For instance, when rumours of regulatory developments were brewing in Brazil, Play’n Go’s compliance team was able to confirm on Vixio that new rules were coming, even before they were published.

Stay ahead of Finland's evolving gambling regulations with Vixio

Finland's gambling market is open for licensing applications – but regulatory updates are still coming. Between technical specifications arriving in waves and player protection frameworks being debated, compliance teams have plenty to track.

Vixio brings it all together in one place: expert analyst coverage of every relevant authority, automated monitoring that flags what matters, and workflow tools that connect regulatory developments directly to the actions your team needs to take.

Book a demo to find out how Vixio can help you enter Finland. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) on Finland gambling regulations

How are Finland's gambling regulations changing in 2026?

Finland is moving away from its monopoly system toward a competitive market for licensed gambling services. Under the new Gambling Act, private gambling companies will be able to apply for gambling licences covering a range of gambling activities, including sports betting, online slot machines, and online casino games.

This gambling reform is designed to improve channelisation while strengthening consumer protection and reducing gambling-related harm. Applications opened on March 1st, 2026, with the market set to launch for approved license holders on July 1st, 2027.

That said, key elements of the regulatory framework, including technical standards, marketing restrictions, and player protection measures like self-exclusion,  are still being finalised.

Who regulates gambling in Finland?

The National Police Board currently oversees Finland’s gambling system under the existing monopoly model led by Veikkaus Oy. This includes supervision of gambling activities, enforcement of gambling laws, and oversight of areas such as the marketing of gambling and anti-money laundering controls.

From July 2027, regulatory responsibility will shift to a new authority, which will supervise licensed B2C operators and other stakeholders. This body will manage licensing, enforcement, and ongoing compliance obligations, including payment blocking measures and supervision fees for licence holders.

What are Finland’s gambling tax rates in 2026?

In 2026, Finland’s monopoly system remains in place, meaning the current gambling tax of 12% applies primarily to Veikkaus Oy and other state-linked operators under the Lotteries Act.

From July 1st, 2027, the new legislation introduces a flat 22% tax on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) for all licensed operators. In addition to taxation, operators should expect supervision fees and broader compliance costs tied to the evolving regulatory framework.

What marketing restrictions will apply to gambling companies in Finland?

Under the new regulatory framework, the marketing of gambling will be tightly controlled. Gambling companies will face strict marketing restrictions, including limits on sponsorship, influencer marketing, and promotional incentives.

Operators must ensure that advertising does not target minors or vulnerable individuals and does not present gambling as a solution to financial or personal problems. These rules are designed to support consumer protection and reduce gambling-related harm, while still allowing licensed operators to compete in a regulated environment.

What player protection measures will be introduced under Finland’s new gambling laws?

Finland’s new gambling laws place a strong emphasis on consumer protection and harm prevention. Proposed measures include mandatory self-exclusion schemes, deposit and loss limits, and stricter age limit controls across gambling services.

Operators will also be expected to implement monitoring systems to detect risky behaviour and intervene where necessary. Alongside these requirements, enhanced anti-money laundering checks and reporting obligations will apply to both operators and service providers within the gambling system.

These measures reflect Finland’s public health-led approach to gambling regulation and will be a key consideration for licence applicants.