Minister of the Interior Finland Licensed Online Casinos and information on Finland Regulatory Body

Overview

In Finland, all the different forms of gambling activities are regulated by the main legislation or the Lotteries Act. Casino gaming, bingo, and poker games are overseen by the Ministry of the Interior Finland alongside the National Police Board also called Arpajaishallinto.

In the country, only state-owned companies can offer gambling services and products to Finnish residents and Veikkaus Oy is the biggest state-owned gambling operator that has a monopoly. In fact, this is the only gambling facility that can offer gambling services and products in the mainland region of the country. PAF or Ålands Penningautomatförening has a gambling monopoly in the Ålands Penningautomatförening.

While this is the situation at the moment, the Finnish Government seems very eager to introduce a completely new online gambling framework by 2026. According to the proposed new regulatory framework, there will be a completely new licensing system in place and it seems like international companies would be allowed to apply for licensing.

As Finland seems more open to the idea of international companies offering their gambling services and products to Finnish residents, it also seems that the Minister of Interior Finland will resume its position as the main gambling regulator. 

Aside from overseeing state-owned online gambling operators, the Minister of Interior Finland is also responsible for offering services and tools which protect players’ rights and present harms related to gambling. 

When it comes to the gambling tax, licensed gambling operators invest 5% of their gross gaming revenues in taxes. However, the tax rate will grow from 5% to 12% in 2024. Back to responsible gambling, the state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus Oy offers a number of responsible gambling services and tools to assist individuals struggling with gambling addiction and others who want to keep their gambling habits in check.