Online gambling regulation in Finland

Currently Gambling Administration of the National Police Board (Arpajaishallinto); from 2027 a new national Finnish Supervisory Agency will act as gambling regulator. Mixed model. Checked 2026-09-21.

Advertising unlicensed gambling banned: Yes
Public licence register: Yes
Online casino: Licensed
Online sports betting: Licensed

Casino, sports betting, poker and more

Until end-June 2027, Finland keeps a Veikkaus monopoly for gambling; the new licensing model opens betting, online casino, slots and online bingo from July 2027, but poker is still treated separately under the transition. Sports betting and casino/slots are being moved into licensing, while online poker remains under the monopoly for now.

Product	Status	What that means
Online casino	Licensed	—
Online sports betting	Licensed	—
Online poker	Restricted	Restricted; Finland still has Veikkaus monopoly until end-June 2027, and police say other operators targeting Finland are prohibited. Players are not the enforcement focus.
Sweepstakes and social casinos	Not confirmed	Unclear; no source here confirms a Finland-specific regime for sweepstakes/social casinos. If prize-linked or stake-based, they may fall under gambling rules, but that is unconfirmed.
Prediction markets	Not confirmed	Unclear; no Finland-specific source here. Likely depends on whether the product is treated as gambling or financial derivatives under separate regulation.
Mystery boxes	Restricted	Lotteries Act (arpajaislaki) 2001; regulator’s 2018 CS:GO opinion says paid random items with cash/trade value are gambling, but in-game-only boxes are outside the Act.

Advertising unlicensed gambling in Finland

Prohibited. New Gambling Act marketing provisions prohibiting promotion of unlicensed gambling; exact section numbers not confirmed.

Marketing of unlicensed / non-Finnish-licensed gambling to Finnish consumers is prohibited under the new Gambling Act and enforced by the National Police Board.

Regulator and law

Currently Gambling Administration of the National Police Board (Arpajaishallinto); from 2027 a new national Finnish Supervisory Agency will act as gambling regulator

New Gambling Act adopted by Parliament 16 December 2025; enters fully into force 1 July 2027.

Online casino: Licensed. Online sports betting: Licensed.

Checking a licence

The regulator publishes a register of licensed operators. Future public online register/whitelist of licensed operators to be maintained by Finnish gambling authority; URL not yet confirmed.

How the black market is fought

payment blocking by National Police Board
ISP/domain blocking orders
administrative fines and penalty payments
criminal offences for illegal gambling provision
marketing prohibitions and take‑down orders

Advertising rules for licensed operators

marketing only permitted for licensed products and channels from 1 July 2027
mandatory responsible gambling and age-limit warnings in all ads
severe restrictions on bonuses; welcome bonuses and VIP schemes largely banned
marketing must clearly display operator licence details and regulator identity

Recent developments

Parliament approved new Gambling Act on 16 December 2025, ending Veikkaus online monopoly and introducing licensing from 1 July 2027.
Licence application window for online betting and casino opens 1 March 2026; operations start 1 July 2027.
New Finnish Supervisory Agency to take over licensing and supervision of licensed online market from early 2027.

Questions

Is it illegal to advertise unlicensed gambling in Finland?

Yes. New Gambling Act marketing provisions prohibiting promotion of unlicensed gambling; exact section numbers not confirmed. Marketing of unlicensed / non-Finnish-licensed gambling to Finnish consumers is prohibited under the new Gambling Act and enforced by the National Police Board.

Who regulates online gambling in Finland?

Currently Gambling Administration of the National Police Board (Arpajaishallinto); from 2027 a new national Finnish Supervisory Agency will act as gambling regulator. The main law is New Gambling Act adopted by Parliament 16 December 2025; enters fully into force 1 July 2027..

How can I check whether a gambling operator is licensed in Finland?

The regulator publishes a register of licensed operators. Future public online register/whitelist of licensed operators to be maintained by Finnish gambling authority; URL not yet confirmed.

What we could not confirm

Exact section numbers of the new Gambling Act governing marketing and black-market enforcement are not confirmed.
Exact go‑live date wording (1 January vs 1 July 2027) varies between some secondary sources; government decision indicates 1 July 2027.
Precise legal citation for public licence register URL not confirmed.
Whether Finland will license online poker after July 2027
Exact treatment of sweepstakes/social casinos under Finnish law
Exact treatment of prediction markets under Finnish law
Exact treatment of loot boxes/mystery boxes under Finnish law

Sources

Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.