yeah and finland has mandatory loss limits even on the monopoly - €500 daily €2k monthly €15k yearly. dunno if that affects international sites thoTrue Finland currently operates under a gambling monopoly system with Veikkaus being the only legal domestic operator. However, this is changing significantly. The Finnish government passed legislation in March 2025 to transition to a partial licensing system. Key timeline: Applications open: Early 2026, Licensed operations begin: January 2027, Full transition complete: 2028
Until 2027, technically only Veikkaus is legal, but enforcement against offshore sites accessing Finnish players has been limited. Many Finns currently use international crypto casinos and sports betting sites. Post-2027, licensed private operators will be able to offer online casino games, slots, and sports betting, while Veikkaus retains monopoly on lotteries and land-based gaming.
Just keep using whatever sites you used in uk mate. As most crypto casinos dont even know what country ur in unless you tell themhi everyone! just moved to finland and wondering what the gambling situation is like here. back in uk had loads of options but not sure what works in finland. heard they have some monopoly system? any advice appreciated
sounds like theyre trying to do what sweden did but hopefully better as sweden licensing been a bit of a mess with operators pulling out and crazy regulationsFinnish market is actually quite sophisticated despite the monopoly structure. approximately €520-590 million annually flows from Finnish players to offshore operators - about 50% of total online gambling spend.
yhis "leakage" is precisely why they're reforming the system. new licensing regime aims to capture this revenue within regulated channels while maintaining player protections.
for practical purposes, international operators rarely restrict Finnish players unless specifically prohibited. Banking is straightforward - finnish banks generally don't block gambling transactions to licensed offshore operators.
VPN usage isn't necessary, and many international sites actually have Finnish language support and EUR currency options.
and transition period (2026-2027) will be interesting as international operators decide whether to apply for Finnish licenses or continue operating offshore
@Hewlet from what ive heard finnish banks are pretty gambling-friendly compared to uk banks. cards work fine on most international sitesgreat and what about payment methods? can you use normal cards on international sites from finland or need crypto?
tbh youll probably have more options living in finland than you did in uk. no merchant blocking and banks dont seem to care about gambling transactions. just the tax situation might change in few years when they get the new system runninggreat and what about payment methods? can you use normal cards on international sites from finland or need crypto?
+1. have few friends in finland and they seem way more chill about gambling than uk. probably cos they dont have constant drama about regulation changes. veikkaus ads everywhere tho which is weird when theyre the only legal option kektbh youll probably have more options living in finland than you did in uk. no merchant blocking and banks dont seem to care about gambling transactions. just the tax situation might change in few years when they get the new system running
100%+1. have few friends in finland and they seem way more chill about gambling than uk. probably cos they dont have constant drama about regulation changes. veikkaus ads everywhere tho which is weird when theyre the only legal option kek