Finland’s overhaul of its online gambling market is designed to create one of Europe’s safest regulated environments. However, industry experts are warning that some of the proposed player protection measures could have unintended consequences, which could force some consumers to continue playing on unregulated offshore gambling platforms.
The Finnish government will end Veikkaus’s current monopoly on online casino games and sports betting in July 2027. It will happen by opening the market to licensed third-party operators for the first time. That’s why lawmakers have proposed various responsible gambling measures to reduce gambling-related harm.
One of the most discussed proposals is a complete ban on autoplay in online slots. Players would be required to manually start every spin, while each game round would have to last at least 2.5 seconds. Fast-forward animations and features that instantly reveal game results will also be banned.
Shift Away From Faster Gameplay
The proposed rules would represent a significant change for Finnish players, many of whom have grown accustomed to fast and seamless online gambling experiences.
Over the past decade, Finland has become one of Europe’s leading markets for so-called instant casinos, which allow customers to register, deposit and withdraw funds within minutes via online banking. The popularity of these platforms can be explained via broader demand for speed and convenience in iGaming.
That preference has also influenced gameplay itself. For instance, features such as turbo spins and autoplay have become standard across much of the international online casino industry, enabling players to customise the pace of their gaming sessions.
If passed, Finland's regulations would move the market in the opposite direction by requiring slower gameplay and removing automated spinning (autoplay) entirely.
Research Supports Restrictions
The proposed autoplay ban is supported by a 2024 study published in the journal Addiction, which found that autoplay features increase gambling activity by encouraging players to place more bets and wager larger amounts overall. Researchers discovered that autoplay increased total gambling activity by roughly 7-9% when compared to manual play.
The study concluded that removing autoplay could reduce the intensity of gambling sessions and serve as an effective harm-reduction tool.
Those findings also support the government’s argument that limiting game speed may help reduce excessive gambling and strengthen consumer protection within the country’s new licensed market.
Concerns Over Channelisation
While the public health aspect is not neglected, the proposals also highlight one of the central challenges facing gambling regulators.
A key objective of the reform is improving channelisation, which is essentially the percentage of gambling activity that happens with licensed operators rather than unregulated websites.
Meanwhile, industry experts insist that if licensed operators become significantly less attractive than their offshore competitors, some consumers may simply choose to gamble outside the regulated system.
Unlike licensed casinos, offshore sites will still have features like autoplay, turbo spins, as well as more appealing promotional bonuses and more relaxed gameplay. Many also provide Finnish-language customer support and instant banking services, features that have become increasingly familiar to Finnish players.
As a result, policymakers face the difficult task of reducing gambling-related harm without making the regulated market so restrictive that consumers seek alternatives elsewhere.
Lessons From Europe
Finland is not alone in tightening regulations around online slots.
The United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands have all introduced autoplay bans and other restrictions designed to reduce gambling intensity. However, those markets have also seen ongoing debate over channelisation, with regulators continuing to assess whether stricter rules have unintentionally strengthened the appeal of offshore operators.
The Finnish government hopes its licensing model will bring more gambling activity under regulatory supervision while increasing tax revenues and improving consumer safeguards. Achieving those objectives will depend largely on whether players choose licensed operators over unregulated alternatives.
Consultation Continues
The proposed legislation remains under public consultation until August, and lawmakers are expected to review feedback before finalising the reforms.
While there is broad support for measures intended to reduce gambling-related harm, the debate illustrates the delicate balance facing regulators.
Scientific evidence suggests that slowing gameplay and removing autoplay can reduce gambling intensity. At the same time, maintaining an attractive licensed market will be critical if Finland is to persuade consumers to leave offshore operators behind.
How successfully the government balances those competing priorities may ultimately determine whether Finland's long-awaited gambling reform delivers its primary objective: creating a safer, well-regulated market while keeping players within the country's new licensing system rather than driving them back to the black market.
Fintech Firms Prepare for Market Opening
The reform is also expected to create new opportunities for payment providers as international operators prepare to enter Finland's regulated market.
The demand for instant account-to-account payments, identity verification and regulatory compliance is also likely to increase, which is an area long dominated by Swedish fintech firms including Trustly, Brite Payments and Zimpler.
Helsinki-based Trumo Finance is among the companies positioning themselves to benefit from the transition. Founded in 2020, the open banking provider says it developed its platform with Finland's future licensed gambling market in mind, as the country prepares to modernise both its gambling and digital payments landscape.
