Online Gambling Bill Advances as Finland Drops Opposition Changes
Parliament has cleared the government's online gambling bill to proceed largely unchanged, despite strong opposition demands for tighter safeguards.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Finnish MPs rejected all major opposition amendments this week, allowing legislation to move forward that will dismantle the state monopoly on online gambling and replace it with a multi‑licence market. Lawmakers voted down the proposals by 153 to 21, with 25 members absent, effectively preserving the government's original framework ahead of a final parliamentary vote expected in the next few days.
The contested bill would end Veikkaus’s exclusive control of online gambling and introduce a licensing regime anticipated to take effect in 2027. While the governing coalition has framed the change as modernisation – intended to bring regulation up to EU norms and open the market to new operators such as Hippos ATG – opponents argued the package did not go far enough to protect vulnerable players.
Opposition parties, principally the Green League and the Left Alliance, offered a series of sweeping amendments aimed at strengthening player protections and restricting industry practices. Proposals included raising the minimum gambling age from 18 to 20, imposing mandatory two‑factor authentication for all player logins, instituting universal deposit and loss limits across licensed platforms, banning promotional bonuses, and increasing the gambling tax to 25.5% of gross gaming revenue. A particularly fraught area was advertising: several amendments sought to prohibit television and radio ads for private operators, ban gambling sponsorships of sports and public events, require health‑style warning labels similar to tobacco packaging, and bar direct marketing to people under 24.
Parliament rejected the opposition’s packages in full rather than considering individual measures, a procedural choice that left critics with little recourse. Supporters of the government’s bill argued that the proposed amendments would have undermined the coherence of the new regulatory regime and risked deterring investment and competition ahead of the market opening.
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What Comes Next for Operators and Consumers
With the amendments dismissed, focus now shifts to implementation. The Ministry (and relevant regulators) will need to finalise licence conditions, responsible‑gaming requirements, market supervision arrangements and enforcement mechanisms during 2026. Regulators will also be tasked with vetting applicants and approving operators in time for an anticipated market launch in 2027. The timetable is tight: national elections scheduled for April 2027 mean the practical rollout is likely to dominate the political agenda between now and the vote.
Antti Koivula, chief compliance officer at Hippos ATG – one of the companies preparing to operate in the new market – said the parliamentary result reflected broader political realities. "This outcome was predictable; the governing coalition has been committed to liberalisation since the bill was introduced. Unless there is a major change in government, further substantive amendments are unlikely before licensing begins. From an operator’s perspective, we now need regulatory clarity on compliance standards, marketing rules and player protection tools so we can ready our platforms and staff for a 2027 entry", he said.
Industry and public‑health stakeholders alike warned that the detailed rules drafted by regulators will determine whether liberalisation delivers more consumer choice or higher societal harm. Consumer advocates pointed to the rejected measures – particularly age limits, deposit controls and tighter advertising curbs – as missed opportunities to embed stronger safeguards at the outset.
Financial and employment effects are already being discussed. Veikkaus, the current state monopoly, faces restructuring as competition looms and has indicated it may cut roles and adjust its product offering. New entrants, including Hippos ATG and other Nordic and European operators, are preparing market‑entry plans, but the precise scope of advertising freedoms, taxation and mandatory responsible‑gaming measures will shape commercial strategies.
As Finland moves toward a regulated, multi‑licence online gambling market, the next 12 months will be decisive. Regulators must balance industry innovation and competitive access with concrete protections for consumers while policymakers prepare for an election that could still influence the longer‑term direction of gambling policy.
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