Sports betting in Finland is legal under the national Lotteries Act, which vests exclusive rights to offer and operate all gambling games—including sports betting—in the state-owned monopoly operator, Veikkaus Oy (1).
Currently, Finland is the last EU country to maintain a comprehensive monopoly on online gambling, meaning that only Veikkaus may provide sports betting services both online and in land-based venues, under supervision of the National Police Board (2).
"At present, several enterprises outside the monopoly system offer to mainland Finland online gambling games that are beyond the scope of regulation and control as well as Finnish taxation on the profits from the games."
A government reform is underway to open Finland’s gambling market to licensed competition by 1 January 2026, with a stepwise transition: licence applications from 2026, licensed services from 2027, and full B2B certification by 2028 (2).
Until these changes take effect, any sports betting activity outside Veikkaus’s platform remains illegal and unregulated. Punitive measures and potential blocking of unlicensed sites uphold the monopoly framework.
Source:
https://intermin.fi/en/projects/reform-of-the-gambling/questions-and-answers
https://www.egba.eu/news-post/finland-egba-welcomes-essential-step-towards-meaningful-gambling-reform/
Last updated: 22-05-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
