The online gambling legislation in Finland bears striking resemblance to what is attainable in most European countries and others outside the European continent. Finns view themselves as one of the happiest countries in the world. This is done to the fair and lax nature of its laws.
Casino without registration games is popular in Finland. You do not have to open an account with the online casino before you start enjoying your favorite online casino games. In Finnish, ’casino without registration’ is called ' kasinot ilman rekisteröitymistä ' .
Gambling in Finland has deep cultural roots, it is seen as an act of nationalism.
Online Gambling Legislation in Finland
In Finland, the legislation is simple. All land-based and online gambling on Finn is h territory is controlled by the government. There is a strict monopoly on gambling in Finland with the government owning it.
The monopoly on gambling is shared between three organi z ations: RAY, Veikkaus Oy, and Fintoto Oy. These entities are respon s ible for supervising all official gambling activities in Finland including Finnish gambling sites such as UniBet , PAF.com, NordicBet , and Betsson .
RAY, Veikkaus Oy, and Fintoto Oy are responsible for di f ferent aspects of gambling. RAY cont r ols all land-based casinos including slot machines, table games , and other casino games such as roulette.
Veikkaus Oy is responsible for sports be t ting, the national lottery , and instant win games. The last organi z ation is Fintoto Oy and it is respon s ible for horse racing.
The Acts on Lotteries
Many Finns are online gambling enthusiasts and th e numbers are running into hundreds of thousands in Finland alone. The Acts o f Lotteries is the main piece of legislation that controls the online gambling industry in Finland. The purpose of the act is to regulate gambling in Finland, protect Finns , and reduce the negative effect of gambling such as addiction.
According to the Acts of Lotteries , the only entity allowed to enable gambling activities within the shores of Finland is the state-controlled Veikkaus . The act causes a lot of confusion, with many assuming that Finnish players can only use the state-controlled Veikkaus to gamble online in Finland. This assumption is wrong, the law only makes it difficult for for ei gn companies to establish gamb ling facilities in Finland.
Finns can gamble online on these for ei gn gambling websites without worrying about breaking any law, it is completely legal. There are many sites online gambling sites available to players in Finland.
The Act on Lotteries is strengthened by several government decrees but it does not prohibit Finns from patroni z ing online casinos. The Interior Ministry of Finland has the power to make decrees on gambling - related issues such as online casino games, locations, land-based casinos, prizes , and so on.
While in theory for ei gn online casinos are banned in Finland, they can accept transactions from Finnish players, which in turn means Finns can play online casino games on these for ei gn websites. The Act on Lotteries however prohibits for ei gn online gambling companies from advertising in Finland.
The National Police Board is the agency that supervises all forms of gambling in Finland. The punishment for illegal gambling operators in Finland range is a halt to their acti v ities and possibly a fine.
There is a gambling company that has an exception from The Act on Lotteries. The name of the company is Paf . It is an international gambling company that has the license to operate in the self-governing province of the Åland Islands. However its exception only covers the Åland Islands and the seas, the company cannot market it s services legally o n the continental side of Finland.
The Lotteries Act is the main law that regulates gambling in Finland. It is designed to curb gambling abuse, protect gambles, and reduce gambling addictions.
For any gambling activity, players must be 18 years and above. Underaged players can engage in gambling activities but cannot play real money games. This law is to protect Finns under the age of 18 from the negative effect of gambling such as addictions.
Before Finns can play at any of the state-run online casinos, they have to pass a verification test which requires them to provide their age, ident i ty , and physical address. Registration is compulsory if you int end to use any of the state-run online casinos.
Some supermarkets, rest a urants , and other physical locations also offer online gambling services (slot games) in Finland. These locations bear the responsibility of making sure that all players that play real money slot games are up to the legal age. Failure to enforce the rule against minor gambling is a punishable offense .
Finland has strict rules about online gambling advertisement s . It is illegal to make any form of gambling advertisement for audiences that are below the age of 18. Even Veikkaus Oy, the state-owned gambling enterprise can only market its game following professional guidelines and ethics. Advertisements to make gambling appear attractive is prohibited.
There is also a restriction on advertising certain games termed to ha rm Finns. Those games can only be marketed in casinos, racetracks , and gaming arcade s and not on national TV or the online space.
The Future of Online Gambling Legislation in Finland
There are efforts ongoing in Finland to reform the Act on Lotteries. Such reforms will not focus on opening the gambling space in Finland to private operators as Sweden had done, but to strengthen the hands of the state-owned enterprises.
Some of the anticipated reforms include blocking Finns from accessing and transferring money to foreign gambling sites. The effectiveness of the IP-blocking and restrictions of money transfer to these foreign gambling sites remains clouded with doubt, especially with the growing use of e-wallets. VPNs and cryptocurrencies which can easily navigate such blocks.
The regulation of the Finnis h Online Gambling industry through state-controlled enterprises is justified by the revenue it generates for the Finnish government. Opposers of the legislation point that the state is losing large sums to foreign online gambling sites. Arguing that if the industry is decentralized, the government can collect tax to bolster its revenue.