Finland's online casino rules, and what changes

Finland is in the middle of the biggest change to its gambling law in decades. For now, one state-owned company runs the show. From July 2027, online casino becomes a licensed market with competing operators. This guide sets out both systems as the official sources describe them, as of November 2026.

This is general information, not legal advice. The Police of Finland gambling pages and the statute texts on Finlex are the sources to check.

Today: the Veikkaus monopoly

Under the current system, Veikkaus Oy holds the exclusive right to offer gambling in mainland Finland, and only Veikkaus may market it. That covers lotteries, betting and online casino games alike. The arrangement stays in place until 30 June 2027.

The minimum age to gamble is 18, and that stays the same after the reform.

The National Police Board (Poliisihallitus) is the authority that supervises gambling until the end of June 2027. It handles marketing breaches and maintains the operator list used for payment blocking.

Payment blocking since 2023

The blocking rules took effect when 2023 began. If the National Police Board has prohibited an operator’s marketing, banks and payment providers have to refuse the deposits Finnish players try to send it.

Two details matter:

• The list names specific operators. It is not a blanket block on every foreign casino. Operators can be added and removed.
• It covers deposits. The rule targets payments from players to the operator, not payouts back to players.

If a deposit fails at a casino, payment blocking is one possible reason, alongside ordinary bank limits.

Marketing rules now

The marketing ban is the part of the current law that is most actively enforced. Only Veikkaus may market gambling in mainland Finland. The Police can issue prohibition decisions backed by conditional fines, and recent decisions have targeted promotion on websites and social media. The definition of marketing is broad: activity meant to raise demand for gambling.

The reform: the new Gambling Act

The new Gambling Act replaces the monopoly for online games with licences. The timeline, as of November 2026:

Date	What happens
1 March 2026	The National Police Board starts accepting licence applications
Until 30 June 2027	Veikkaus monopoly continues; licence holders may not yet offer or market games
1 July 2027	New licences take effect; private operators may start
1 July 2027	The Finnish Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto) takes over licensing and supervision

Under the new system there are two kinds of licence. An exclusive licence, always granted for ten years, keeps some games with Veikkaus, such as lotteries. A gambling licence, granted for up to five years, covers the competitive side, which includes online casino and betting. The Police publish the licences granted under the new Act, and those licences apply from 1 July 2027.

What licence holders will face from July 2027

The reform comes with tighter rules for the companies that get a licence. Based on published summaries of the Act:

• Marketing limits. Marketing will be allowed for licence holders, within rules on how and where.
• Central self-exclusion. A shared register lets a player exclude themselves from all licensed operators at once.
• More enforcement tools. Summaries of the Act describe stronger measures against unlicensed operators, on top of payment blocking.

The detailed rules on bonuses and marketing are set out in the Act and its regulations. Expect them to shape what offers look like after July 2027.

What this means for you as a player

The law as written is aimed at who may offer and market gambling. Payment blocking, prohibition decisions and fines target operators and promoters. The sources we read do not describe penalties for players.

Foreign casinos that accept Finnish players hold licences issued abroad, such as the Malta Gaming Authority or the Estonian Tax and Customs Board. Those are licences from their own countries. Until July 2027 none of them is part of the Finnish system, and after July 2027 only the Supervisory Agency’s licence holders are.

Practical points:

1. Check the licence country. It decides how your winnings are taxed. Our guide to tax on casino winnings in Finland covers the EU/EEA condition.
2. Expect changes in 2027. Some foreign brands may stop serving Finland, and offers may change shape under the new rules.
3. Know where help is. Peluuri runs a free helpline on 0800 100 101 and online support.

Checking where a casino is licensed

For a Finnish player the licence country decides two things: tax, and which regulator handles a complaint. A casino’s footer should name its regulator and licence number. Check both in the regulator’s own register, not on the casino’s page:

• The Malta Gaming Authority publishes a searchable list of licensees.
• The Estonian Tax and Customs Board publishes its licensed gambling operators.

If a site names a regulator you can’t find, or the licence number doesn’t match the domain, skip it. After July 2027, the Supervisory Agency’s own list will show which companies hold licences under the new Act.

For the payment side, our guide to Pay N Play casinos explains how bank-ID deposits work. To compare current offers, start from the Finland home page.