Gambling system
The gambling reform will open up the gambling market to competition. From 1 July 2027, Finland’s gambling system will be based on the new Gambling Act, and entities with a licence will be able to offer gambling services.
Until the end of June 2027, the gambling system is based on the provisions of the Lotteries Act, which grants Veikkaus Oy the exclusive right to organise gambling in Finland. Under both systems, gambling must be organised in such a way that:
- the legal protection of the participants is guaranteed
- abuses and offences are prevented,
- and the economic, social and health-related harm caused by gambling is prevented and reduced.
The operators in Finland’s gambling monopoly are subject to supervision in several areas. The supervision focuses on their operations and finances, use of proceeds, legality of operations and any harmful effects resulting from their operations.
Until the end of June 2027, gambling activities will be supervised and licensed by the National Police Board. From 1 July 2027, gambling will be supervised and licensed by the Supervisory Agency.
Gambling policy and research
The Ministry of the Interior guides Finland’s gambling policy and drafts the related decisions and legislation. Operating under the Ministry of the Interior, the Advisory Board on Gambling monitors the fulfilment of the gambling policy objectives and development needs.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare are responsible for monitoring and studying gambling-related problems and for developing prevention and treatment. In addition, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has established an evaluation group to monitor and preliminarily assess the harms of gambling.
Gambling and the EU
Member states of the European Union can impose national restrictions on the provision of gambling services. As a member state, Finland is free to make decisions on its gambling system and set the objectives for it. However, any restrictions on the provision of gambling services must comply with EU law.
The preliminary rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union have become the most important legal guidelines in the gambling sector. According to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, restrictions on the freedom to provide services, on the right of establishment or on the free movement of goods may be justified in the gambling sector.
Restrictions are justified if they are:
- based on imperative requirements in the public interest, such as consumer protection and the prevention of both fraud and problem gambling
- suitable for achieving the objectives of the gambling system
- proportionate to the objective pursued
- applied without discrimination.
According to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, national authorities are also expected to effectively supervise the expansion of gambling activities. In practice, this means supervision of both the scope of advertising by the holder of the monopoly and any new games it brings to the market.
No EU-wide gambling licences
The gambling market of the European Union has not been harmonised. This means that gambling operators need to apply for a licence in all the countries in which they want to offer their gambling services either at physical points of sale or over the internet.Gambling operators may not legally offer their gambling services in any country in which they do not hold a licence according to the laws of that country.
According to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the principle of mutual recognition does not apply to the gambling market in the EU. This means that a gambling licence granted in one EU member state does not give the licence holder a right to operate in other EU member states.
For this reason, companies that offer gambling services in several EU member states need to comply with the laws of each country.
International cooperation in the gambling sector
International cooperation plays an important role in the supervision of gambling activities. Forms of international cooperation include:
- Nordic cooperation (e.g. meetings of the heads of gambling supervisory authorities, meetings between legal and technical experts and collaborative projects focusing on current issues)
- Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF) (include links)
- International Association for Gambling Regulators (IAGR)
- cooperation between EU member states in connection with EU institutions (Council Working Party on Gambling and Betting and expert roles in the Commission’s work)
- Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (FATF)
- European Association for the Study of Gambling (EASG)
In the fields of statistics and reporting, the Gambling Administration cooperates with the Nordic countries, EU member states, GREF and IAGR.
