Finnish Member of Parliament Sinuhe Wallinheimo has expressed concerns about whether the country’s new gambling regulator will be ready to oversee the country’s liberalised iGaming market when it opens on July 1, 2027.
Wallinheimo, who is a member of the ruling National Coalition Party, noted that preparations for establishing the supervisory watchdog are still in the works, despite the market launch being less than a year away.
He said the country’s new authority is not ready yet, as he questioned whether the remaining time would be sufficient to establish an effective regulatory structure.
The MP was among the politicians who pushed for the introduction of a new gambling framework before the last elections. However, he is now uncertain about the outcome if preparations only begin at this stage.
New Supervisory Authority Still Being Developed
Once the new market is up and running, gambling regulation will be transferred from the National Police Board to a new department within the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
Still, according to Wallinheimo, the new gambling regulation unit is currently being established, with recruitment still underway,
As mentioned, the new unit will monitor the newly opened online casino market and other forms of legal gambling. This will include taking responsibility for processing licence applications, which are currently handled by the National Police Board.
Business-to-consumer licence applications will remain open, while the application window for business-to-business supplier licences is scheduled to open on July 1, 2027. Previously, the launch of the market launch postponed to July 2027, due to staffing shortages reportedly contributing to delays in establishing the supervisory structure.
Concerns have also emerged among industry experts about whether the new authority will have sufficient resources and experience to manage its responsibilities from the beginning. Wallinheimo also questioned what regulatory approach Finland would adopt, pointing to differences between Sweden and Denmark.
He suggested that Finland could implement a stricter supervisory model, similar to Sweden, or pursue closer cooperation between operators and regulators, as seen in Denmark. Still, the MP is hopeful the authority would maintain an open dialogue with licensed companies rather than relying primarily on enforcement and financial penalties.
Channelisation Driving Gambling Reform
Despite the concerns about regulatory readiness, Wallinheimo again backed the decision to open the Finnish market to private online casinos. He believes the country’s existing monopoly system had failed to keep gambling activity within the regulated sector, which has led to losing substantial revenue abroad.
In his words, the country ‘lost control,’ as he cited calculations that between €600 million and €900 million in gambling revenue had gone to foreign operators.
Wallinheimo insists that the reform is a necessary step to attract more companies to the Finnish market, improve player protection and generate additional tax revenue. He also argued that the previous system was no longer effective in protecting Finnish consumers, making a new regulatory framework essential.
Latest numbers suggest Finland’s current channelisation rate is estimated at around 50%, while authorities have set an optimistic target of reaching 90% after liberalisation. The transition is intended to give licensed operators a more competitive environment while encouraging players to move away from unregulated gambling websites.
Political Support for Market Liberalisation
Overall, Finland’s gambling reform has attracted broad political support, with even state-owned monopoly operator Veikkaus backing the opening of the online market to private competition.
Still, Veikkaus will retain its exclusive rights over land-based gambling, lottery products and scratchcards, while online casino games and sports betting will become available to licensed private operators.
Wallinheimo attributed the political consensus to growing recognition that the monopoly system was no longer achieving its intended objectives. He noted that the shift in political attitudes had happened relatively quickly, as the idea of maintaining Veikkaus' monopoly had remained widely accepted until just a few years ago.
He added that the operator’s own support for liberalisation also helped accelerate the change of taking the legal online gambling sector to the next level.
With the market opening scheduled for July 2027, Finland is moving closer to ending its long-standing online gambling monopoly. However, the establishment of the new supervisory authority remains a key challenge ahead of the transition.
Affiliate Marketing Restrictions Raise Further Concerns
Nevertheless, according to Jacob Ljunggren, Product Director at Leadstar Media, restrictions on affiliate marketing could create additional challenges for Finland's channelisation targets,
Recently, he warned that preventing affiliates from promoting licensed operators could make it harder for regulated companies to attract customers while giving unlicensed platforms a competitive advantage.
Ljunggren also expects operators to rely more heavily on product quality, payment options and user experience, given restrictions on advertising and welcome bonuses.
He stressed that player awareness will be equally important, as consumers need to understand the differences between licensed and offshore gambling platforms. Ultimately, the success of liberalisation will depend on whether regulated operators can compete effectively with unlicensed alternatives.
