Finland’s Ministry of the Interior recently presented a draft bill that will allow commercial gambling operators to be active in the country by early 2027.
Initially, the Finnish government set out plans to end the current monopoly by the government-owned betting agency, Veikkaus by the end of 2026.
The bill is being compiled by the Ministry of the Interior and will be presented during the country’s 2025 spring session. The bill will aim to “prevent and reduce gambling disadvantages and to improve the channeling of demand into the legally regulated gambling system”.
If approved, operators can apply for licenses in early 2026, whereas suppliers for software provider licenses can apply from 2027.
As it stands, the country’s National Police Board oversees gambling in Finland, but this will then be overhauled. Finland’s Ministry of Finance will be in charge of establishing a new supervisory authority to regulate the market.
