Finnish lawmakers block gambling bill amendments in Parliamentary vote

Finland’s parliament declined proposals that would have raised the gambling age to 20, imposed centralized player limits, and banned bonuses, clearing the way for the online gambling bill to proceed without structural changes for operators.

Lawmakers voted down a package of amendments submitted by opposition parties during a hearing earlier this week. The proposals were rejected by a vote of 153-21 on Wednesday, with 25 members absent. Each amendment was considered as part of a single vote.

The bill, which has already passed review by the Administrative Committee, is scheduled for a final vote this week.

Rejected proposals affecting operators

Among the proposed changes was an increase in the minimum gambling age from 18 to 20. Opposition lawmakers also sought to require two-factor authentication for every login option on licensed gambling websites, introduce centralized deposit and loss limits across all operators, and impose a blanket ban on gambling bonuses.

Additional measures targeted operators’ financial obligations, including a proposal to raise the gambling tax rate to 25.5% of gross gaming revenue.

All of these measures were rejected, allowing the bill to move forward without those provisions.

Advertising and marketing restrictions fail

Marketing and advertising rules were another focus of the proposed amendments. These included a ban on TV and radio advertising for licensed gambling products, with an exemption for Veikkaus, which currently operates under a monopoly in Finland’s iGaming market.

Other proposals called for a complete ban on gambling advertisements at sports and public events, the use of tobacco-style warning labels in gambling marketing, and a prohibition on direct marketing to individuals under the age of 24. There was also a proposal requiring the Ministry of the Interior to publish a definition of what it considers “moderate” levels of marketing.

None of these proposals gained parliamentary approval.

Reaction from industry compliance

Antti Koivula, chief compliance officer for ATG’s Finnish joint venture Hippos ATG, described the outcome as “decisive”. He had previously stated that the amendments were unlikely to pass.

“This outcome surprised absolutely no one,” Koivula said. “If anything was surprising, it was how overwhelmingly the proposal was defeated, even within the opposition itself.”

Koivula noted that only some opposition parties supported the amendments. The Greens and the Left Alliance backed the proposals, while other parties did not commit their support.

Next steps for market reform

If approved in its final vote, the legislation would introduce a multi-licensing system for online gambling in Finland. The regulated market is scheduled to open in 2027, with much of 2026 allocated to licensing and operator approvals ahead of launch.

Finland is also due to hold national elections in 2027. Koivula said changes to the direction of the iGaming market would likely depend on a change in government. Media reports in recent weeks have suggested the planned January 2027 launch date could be delayed due to elections scheduled for April.

“We shall see what happens in the next governmental term, beginning after the April 2027 elections, if the current opposition parties are back in government,” Koivula said. “Maybe it should be added that it’s unlikely that anything this drastic will be approved in the next governmental term, either.”