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Finland’s Ministry of the Interior has sent its much-anticipated draft proposal to license betting, online slot machines and casino games to the government, proposing that licensees could operate from the beginning of 2027.
The new system would be introduced in stages, with the next step being to present the proposal to parliament in the spring session of 2025, according to the Ministry of the Interior’s announcement on July 3.
The current monopoly held by Veikkaus will continue until the end of 2026 and operators will be allowed to begin applying for licences at the start of 2026.
The ministry had previously targeted January 2026 as the market launch date, but Finnish stakeholders have long feared that the start of licensing could be delayed as a result of broader political turmoil in Finland.
Under the proposal, gambling software suppliers will also require a licence; however, they will not be allowed to apply for one until the start of 2027. This means operators will not be obliged to use only licensed suppliers until 2028.
Under the proposal, licensees will be able to advertise but “the amount, scope, visibility and frequency of marketing should be moderate and necessary to direct gambling demand to licensed gambling activities”, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Additionally, “foreign marketing of gambling games with a high risk of harm would be prohibited. Physical ATMs and casino games that remain the exclusive rights of Veikkaus should not be marketed at all”.
A new Licensing and Control Agency (LCA) operating under the Ministry of Finance will take over gambling supervision from the National Police Board.
The LCA will be able to issue fines, revoke licences, make test purchases, monitor money laundering compliance, as well as block websites and ban payments to unlicensed operators.
The law also proposes the creation of a new national self-exclusion system.
Veikkaus will retain some monopolies over certain products such as lottery games and scratchcards, with Finland's Council of State, the executive branch and the Cabinet of Finland, set to decide on the annual fee it will pay for its exclusive licence.
A separate business, under the same group, will be created for Veikkaus’ operations that do not fall under its exclusive licence.
The state will have the right to sell part of its ownership of Veikkaus “if this was considered justified in the future from the perspective of the development of the state's shareholder value”, according to the Ministry of Interior.
A public consultation on the proposal has also been published by the Ministry of Interior. Its response period ends on August 18.
