According to the government program revealed on June 16, 2023, Finland’s new center-right government, the Orpo Cabinet, is particularly devoted to opening up the online gambling market and launching a licensing system for online gambling by January 2026 at the latest. In addition, it pointed out that it is “committed to ending the current monopoly system.”

Implementation of the hybrid system:

Finland is doing it like Sweden when it comes to the transition and implementation of a hybrid system that will be a combination of a licensing system and a monopoly. It is envisioned that the future licensing system will involve online casino games and online wagering.

In addition, it is possible for the current monopoly holder, Veikkaus Oy, to keep its exclusive right to slot machines, brick-and-mortar casinos, brick-and-mortar betting, and lottery tickets as well as lottery and raffle games regardless of the sales channel. However, Veikkaus will be split into two respective legal entities, one working in the field of monopoly services and the other in the licensed gambling market.

A study on the monopoly of gambling activities in Finland:

The impending opening of the online gambling market comes after a recent study on the monopoly of gambling activities in Finland which shows that the Finnish state is losing an important sum of money due to gambling activities that occur outside the monopoly system. The study further notes that the aforementioned sum amounts to approximately EUR 500–550 million per year. In this regard, the researchers claimed that “approximately half of all online gambling takes place in games that fall outside the state monopoly system.”

Prevention and reduction of harm from gambling as the main goal:

“However, gambling outside the state monopoly causes significant gambling-related harm,” the study said.

In this regard, the avoidance and complete elimination of gambling-related harm will remain the main goal of Finnish gambling policy. In order to achieve that goal, the aforementioned government program will enable the marketing of licensed gambling services, but, however, marketing have to be moderate and responsible in its content, scope, visibility and frequency.

Regarding direct marketing, it is necessary to secure the express consent of the consumer. Therefore, the latest measures aimed at avoiding the harmful effects of gambling will involve a single service point that allows consumers to block gambling on all platforms that provide licensed services. Additionally, the government will also evaluate the potential of restricting the availability of slot machines to certain supervised premises.

Prohibition:

Any marketing of gambling services by any party other than Veikkaus Oy is currently forbidden. This ban also applies to online marketing on foreign sites if it is aimed at Finnish consumers.

The National Police Board of Finland is responsible for monitoring the Finnish gambling market and has taken action against several parties for violating gambling rules. In this regard, during April 2023, the National Police Board banned BML Group Ltd from marketing its gambling services in Finland breaching of the Finnish Lotteries Act. Moreover, the Police Board issued a conditional fine of EUR 2.4 million on the operator to enforce the ban. This marketing ban will remain in place for the next few years until the new bill becomes enforceable.

However, the new government will have to begin preparing a legislative proposal for its next step. The exact schedule is not yet known, but preparations are projected to begin this year.