Recently, the Social Affairs and Health Committee of the Finnish Parliament officially rejected key elements of the government's proposed "Gambling Law" reform, citing concerns that liberalizing the gambling market would exacerbate gambling-related harms. The committee recommended raising the minimum gambling age to 20 and reiterated the priority of preventing gambling addiction risks.
The committee explicitly stated that gambling should be viewed as a high-risk product, not a regular consumer good. Although the government originally planned to end the digital monopoly of the state-run operator Veikkaus by 2027 and introduce a private licensing system to increase player retention and strengthen regulation, the committee believes that the current plan has not adequately weighed potential social impacts.
Members pointed out that gambling has high addictive and cumulative harms, especially affecting young people and vulnerable groups profoundly. Therefore, any market opening scheme must prioritize social protection and public health.
Currently, the Administrative Committee of the Parliament has taken over the issue and will draft an independent report based on the government's proposal, with the review process still ongoing.
The overall gambling reform agenda in Finland is still progressing, including establishing a new regulatory authority, introducing mandatory real-name verification, self-exclusion mechanisms, and restrictions on advertising. However, this rejection shows that Finnish legislators are still cautiously weighing between market competition and social responsibility.
