Finland gambling regulation, licensing and taxation

Regulated. 

State monopoly for Veikkaus Oy under Section 11 of the Lottery Act until June 30, 2027. 

One exclusive gambling licence for slot machines and casino games will be available for a limited liability company controlled by the Finnish state as of March 1, 2026, with the licensed operator being able to offer gambling as of July 1, 2027 (Sections 5 and 8 of the Gambling Act (effective as of March 1, 2026)). Applications through the online service available at the National Police Board can be submitted as of March 2, 2026.

In practice, the monopoly for casinos will be retained by Veikkaus Oy, subject to the issuance of the exclusive licence.

As of July 1, 2027

Casino games include roulette, card and dice games and other similar games (Section 3(11), Gambling Act, in force as of July 1, 2027)

Slot machines can also be organised in casinos (Section 3(16), Gambling Act, in force as of July 1, 2027).

Until June 30, 2027

Casino games include roulette, card and dice games and other similar games (Section 3(6), Lottery Act). 

Slot machines can also be organised in casinos (Section 4(5), Lottery Act).

Licence applications begin on March 1, 2026 and licensed gambling operations begin on July 1, 2027.

Licensing

Land-based casino games can be offered under an exclusive licence for slot machines and casino games by a limited liability company controlled by the Finnish state (Sections 5(2) and 8, Gambling Act, in force as of March 1, 2026).

An exclusive licence is issued for ten years (Section 14, Gambling Act, in force as of March 1, 2026).

If the licensee applies for a new licence no later than six months before the expiration of their licence, they will be allowed to continue their activity until the processing of their new licence application (Section 15, Gambling Act, in force as of July 1, 2027).

Pursuant to Section 10 of the Gambling Act (in force as of March 1, 2026), the applicant must be considered reliable and suitable for the organisation of gambling and to this purpose, they could not:

• Have been sentenced to imprisonment or a community fine within the five years preceding the licence application, or to a fine within the three years preceding the licence application, for a crime that can be considered to show that they are clearly unsuitable to operate gambling.
• Be bankrupt or unable to manage their operations and fulfill statutory obligations due to their assets.
• Have debts that exceed their ability to pay to be recovered by enforcement proceedings or debts that have been returned from enforcement proceedings with certificates of lack of means.
• Have or have had repeated or significant failures to meet their obligations related to taxes or statutory payments in the current year or in the previous three calendar years.
• Have been subject to a business ban or temporary business ban.
• Have had their gambling licence revoked under the act within the past three years for a reason other than their own request.
• Have been issued a prohibition order or a penalty fee during the three years preceding the licence application for organising or marketing gambling without a licence required by the act.
• Have been issued a prohibition order or imposed a penalty payment for the organisation or marketing of gambling in violation of the Lotteries Act during the two years preceding the licence application, but nevertheless, after September 1, 2024.
• Have provided materially false information while reporting the information referred in Chapter 2 of the act to the supervisory authority or have neglected to provide the required information.
• Be subject to sanctions, directly or indirectly, through ownership or control, based on sanctions regulations or national freezing decisions.

The reliability and suitability requirements stipulated in Section 10(1-10) of the act also apply to board members, deputy members, executive management, as well as to persons who directly or indirectly hold at least 25 percent of the shares of the limited liability company or the voting rights conferred by the shares, or, in the case of an entity other than a limited liability company, a corresponding ownership or control power (Section 10, Gambling Act, in force as of March 1, 2026).

Pursuant to Section 31(3) and (5) of the Gambling Act (In force as of July 1, 2027) , a government decree regulates the maximum number of slot machines and casino games in casinos, as well as the number and location of casinos.

Documentation requirements accompanying a licence application are detailed in Section 11 of the Gambling Act (in force as of March 1, 2026).

Application forms can be found here on the website of the Lottery Administration of the National Police Board. Detailed instructions for a licence application can be found here on the website of the Lottery Administration of the National Police Board.

Costs

Pursuant to Section 19 of the Gambling Act (in force as of March 1, 2026), the holder of an exclusive licence must pay to the state:

• A basic compensation determined by a decision of the government, the amount of which corresponds to the estimated gaming revenue for the entire period of validity of the licence, less a profit deemed reasonable from the gambling activities carried out under the licence in question.
• An annual compensation determined by a decision of the government for each calendar year, corresponding to a proportional share decided by the government of the realised gaming revenue for the preceding calendar year.

The annual supervisory fee that has to be paid by the licensee is set at €2.8m (Section 70 by reference to Section 5(1)(2) of the Gambling Act, in force as of July 1, 2027).

The application fee for an exclusive gambling licence is €29,000. The cost for changes to a gambling licence is set at €1,120 (Annex of Decree No. 96/2026 amending Decree No. 1335/2025, in force from March 1, 2026).

As of July 1, 2027

Both the holder of an exclusive gambling licence (Veikkaus Oy) and the holders of a gambling licence will be taxed 22 percent of gross gaming revenue under the new gambling framework (Section 4, Law No. 14/2026 amending the Lottery Tax Act as of July 1, 2027).

Law No. 15/2026 amending the Income Tax Act as of July 1, 2027 will repeal Section 21c of the Income Tax Act and, as outlined in the explanations accompanying the draft of the Gambling Act as submitted to parliament in March 2025 (Part 7.6), will result in Veikkaus Oy being subject to “normal corporate taxation with regard to the lottery and gambling activities it conducts under their exclusive rights”. 

Until June 30, 2027

Tax liability for Veikkaus Oy’s is prescribed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Lottery Tax Act. The tax rate is set at 12 percent of Veikkaus Oy’s gross gaming revenues (GGR).

According to Section 21c of the Income Tax Act, Veikkaus Oy is liable for corporate tax only on income derived from gambling activities conducted under exclusive rights other than those granted under the Lotteries Act.

As of July 1, 2027

Pursuant to Law No. 15/2026 amending the Income Tax Act as of July 1, 2027, the following will not be considered taxable income:

• Winnings received from gambling or other lotteries referred to in Section 1(1) of the Lottery Tax Act.
• Other lotteries than games of chance organised in accordance with the legislation of another country part of the European Economic Area (EEA).
• Games of chance offered in accordance with the legislation of another country belonging to the EEA.

Until June 30, 2027

Pursuant to Section 85 of the Income Tax Act, winnings from lotteries referred in Section 2 of the Lottery Tax Act are not considered taxable income.

As of July 1, 2027

Games of chance can not be played on credit or against collateral (Section 25, Gambling Act, in force as of July 1, 2027).

Licensees cannot transfer money based on credit to gambling (Section 25, Gambling Act, in force as of July 1, 2027).

Until June 30, 2027

According to Section 10 of the Lottery Act, lotteries cannot be conducted in such a way that participation in them is possible in return for a loan or a pledge. Licensees cannot transfer debt money for gambling.