Finland will officially say goodbye to the long-standing state monopoly model in July 2027, opening the door to international operators for online gambling licenses. However, a year and a half before the marketization countdown, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) threw cold water: Opening the market is very likely to shift the regulatory focus from preventing gambling harm to chasing gambling revenue. THL cited the latest data, stating that there are currently 151,000 people in Finland classified as problem gamblers, accounting for 4.2% of the adult population—that is, one in every 25 Finnish adults is a gambler. To buckle up for players in advance, THL has specifically launched a risk self-assessment tool based on the "2-4-2" principle. Meanwhile, the government's proposed unified loss limits and other safety measures across operators are causing strong backlash from international operators. How will the Nordic gambling regulatory balance be adjusted? PASA's official website continues to focus on the tug-of-war between legislation and public health.
First, the market opening "countdown", THL warns of a shift in focus
According to the new law passed at the end of 2025, Finland will start a multi-license system in July 2027, ending Veikkaus's decades-long monopoly. This means that international giants like Bet365 and Entain are about to legally enter the market.
THL research director Sari Kastren is clear about this: "Gambling always involves risks, and the house always wins money." She warns that after marketization, operators will inevitably increase advertising and customer acquisition incentives significantly, significantly increasing the risk of players being exposed to gambling harm. THL emphasizes that the current problem gambling rate is already on the rise, and if precautions are not taken in advance, opening the market will only worsen the situation.
Second, the "2-4-2" rule: Players' self-credit limit
To help players hold the line, THL has launched a quantitative self-assessment framework—the "2-4-2" rule:
•2%: Monthly gambling expenditure should not exceed 2% of personal net income.
•4 days: Do not participate in gambling more than 4 days per month.
•2 types: Avoid frequently participating in more than 2 types of different games.
This rule is inspired by the Canadian low-risk gambling guidelines and has been adjusted after two years of localized research (quantitative surveys + qualitative focus groups). Kastren describes it as "everyone's credit limit for managing their gambling behavior." This tool is now online for players to self-assess, aiming to transform the abstract concept of "responsible gambling" into executable numerical red lines.
Third, safety measures are not yet finalized, operators cry "too tight will jump ship"
Although the legislative framework is set, key consumer protection details are still in negotiation. The Gambling Risk and Harm Assessment Group (GRHAG) under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health recently launched a public consultation, with proposed measures including:
•Unified loss limits across operators—Players' cumulative losses on all licensed platforms must not exceed the set upper limit.
•Mandatory player control tools—such as deposit, loss, and gaming duration limits; cooling-off and pause features.
However, the operator camp strongly resists this. SkillOnNet (under the brand PlayOJO) bluntly states: "If the limits are set too low, players will only turn to unregulated illegal sites." Wildz Group also echoed, saying that introducing stringent restrictions when channelization rates are not yet stable is tantamount to pushing players out.
The consultation period ends on February 24, and the government needs to finalize the details before opening applications in March. On one side is THL and public health experts' insistence on "prevention first," and on the other is the operators' realistic demands for market competitiveness and channelization—Finland's gambling liberalization is far from a worry-free moment.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original deep gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
