This week the Finnish government submitted a bill to parliament, the Finnish Gambling Act, which if approved will dismantle the monopoly currently held by the Veikkaus state-owned operator.
Veikkaus is currently the only operator of betting, gaming and lotteries in Finland, with the exception of the island territory of Åland where gambling services are provided by the company Paf.
Finland’s state-backed operator has been broadly supportive of changes, however, noting that the lack of competition sees Finnish channelisation rates fall well below target, with many bettors instead gambling with unlicensed overseas firms.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, of the centre-right National Coalition Party (NCP), believes reform is needed to better protect players and ensure better all-round taxation of gaming revenue in F..