Online gambling legislation in Finland

Internationally, online gambling represents a highly enjoyed and a commonly practiced type of entertainment that people indulge in. The Finnish also favor the gambling fever. The statistics reveal that Finnish people can stake up to €10 billion on slot games, sports betting and lottery every year.

The gambling pastime in Finland have always been monopolized and regulated by the government and regardless of the recent developments in the business, it appears that this existing status quo will never be broken. Online gambling has turned into a huge donor of revenue to the national budget in the last several years. The country is also positioned fifth in the globe according to the magnitude of the gambling market which is the prerequisite for many of overseas operators to attempt to join the gambling market in Finland. Regrettably, this does not look very likely to ensue anytime soon.

The European Commission demanded in 2010 that Finland must enforce amendments to their gambling legislation that will improve its compliance with the EU regulations. Regardless of the push from the EU authorities, Finland’s gambling construction stays almost the same. Though gambling is completely lawful in Finland the gambling legislation is a bit more intricate. Curious enough, the figures in a research carried out recently by the Finnish media, Yle, displayed that 66% of the interviewed senior Finnish citizens favored the monopoly rule.

Three for One

In Finland, the state controls all types of gambling no matter if they are practiced online or offline. The whole gambling activity has always been handled by three companies run by the state. The table games and slot machines bargains in Finland have always been under the control of RAY. The state lottery, instant win games, and sports betting were managed and controlled by Veikkaus Oy, while all horse racing gambling was controlled by Fintoto. The three establishments from their side were controlled and regulated by the government and all incomes accumulated from gambling are returned into the state treasury regardless of the way they are acquired - through sports, arts, education, or science. Previously in 2017, these three companies united to turn into one state-operated dominating entity called Veikkaus.

The Flourishing Gambling Market of Finland

As per the statistics, Finns wager over than €10 billion on different gambling commodities. The gambling chart of H2 Gambling Headquarters has placed Finnish punters among the biggest gamblers worldwide.

Only for the last year the Finns invested a whopping total of approximately $2.2 billion on gambling ventures.

Studies also point out that the Finnish people are keen fans of online gambling and gaming machinery.

With the figures verifying that gambling is highly demanded in Finland it would look like the clear pick for the Government is to expose their territory to foreign ventures. In any case, this is how most of the other states with perspective gambling markets would have acted. But Finns, however, have diverse tactics and prefer to keep the everything inside the country much to the aggravation of the European Regulatory body.

Conscientious and Liable Gambling

The Finnish Government may be stern on foreign operators promoting in the country but many international sites permit Finnish residents to access their games and bargains. Eventually, it would be reasonable of Finland to alter its gambling legislation in a way that overseas operators could reach their citizens. The Finnish gambling industry can increase significantly its profitability by adding foreign operators.

The gains will be bidirectional as the country will not only be able to regulate the sites’ access to the local punters but the state could also safeguard its players from possibly malicious and fraud sites. It looks like the perspective of benefitting from overseas operators is not as tempting as the total control over the market is. Ultimately, the Finns authorities will have to reevaluate their standpoint to shield their players and keep them under narrow restrictions to guarantee liable gambling.

Taxes on the Winnings

Gambling in Finland can be tracked back to the 17th Century. It was prohibited for a while from 1899, by the penal code, till 1917, when it was legalized again with the country obtaining its independence. Henceforth, the players can indulge into online gambling and play at the country’s ground-based casino, Casino Helsinki, located in the capital of Helsinki. Punters are exceptionally keen on taking part in this type of leisure time both on and offline but there is a dose of anxiety concerning the gambling taxation.  

The state is charging all casino operators with 8.25% tax on their overall net profits but punters are tax-free. It means that the gamblers can bet at any legal ground-based or online casino, realizing that if they hit a huge win they can take the whole of it home.

Is Overseas Gambling criminal?

The Government of Finland keeps its stern control and gambling rules in place to safeguard not only themselves but their citizens as well. It looks like the regulations have been implemented to direct players and facilitate them to abide by responsible gambling.

The online casino business has enjoyed a fast progress with fresh online casinos sprouting every day. And as the Finns can legally bet at any of the state-run operators, there is an ambiguity around the repercussions of participating in online gambling from an offshore operator. As a matter of fact, some Finns totally ignore the regulations and rules due to the more lucrative offers and the games with better quality that can be located at some of the foreign casinos rather than at local ones. Others though are still hesitant and uncertain about a possible mingling with the countless overseas online casinos that are on the stall.

Now players can pamper themselves with online gambling undertakings on international sites with no need to fear of having troubles with the authorities. Despite the stern legislation stopping foreign gambling sites from promoting in Finland, it does not refer to the Finnish players as there is no law whatsoever against the participation of local punters in gambling at international online casino sites. Money transactions and IP addresses are not being observed or suspended which makes the sites out of Finland easily accessible.

It would be reasonable to review our Top List of Casinos for Finland before making too hasty decisions. Some sites within your reach are harmful and will fraud you out of your money and you will not have the official protection from the authorities. It is at all time crucial to go your homework before registering at an online casino.