The first land-based casino in Finland was the Grand Casino, Helsinki. It appeared in the 1990s and is now one of the biggest and most popular casinos in the country. In 2001, the Lottery Act was approved, and gambling began to be regulated by the government.
With regard to the regulation and legal framework in Finland, we can’t really say that it is all transparent and understandable. Here, we at Online Casinos do our best to explain how Finland online casinos are licensed and regulated, and give some information about the legality of gambling there. The laws concerning gambling are quite strict in the country, but people are free to gamble, and it’s legal. Let’s start with the former and new Finnish regulatory bodies:
![Finnish Providers]( "Finnish Providers")
- Fintoto Oy - the department that works exclusively on the regulation of horse racing activities;
- Veikkaus Oy - the most prominent department, regulating all the national lotteries, sports betting, legal online casinos, Bingo rooms, and Keno. It also issues licenses;
- RAY - the authority that regulates the work of land-based casinos in Finland;
- PAF - the regulatory body for gambling activity on the Aland Islands, the autonomous area of Finland, which was the first to start issuing licenses.
At the end of 2017, all of these bodies merged into one regulatory authority to bring all gambling activity under one central body, which all seems very commendable. Note that they work only for land-based and online casinos operating from Finland. The only activity prohibited to foreign online casinos is advertising their services inside Finland.
You can still play safely in any online casino that accepts Finnish customers, as the government doesn’t prosecute players for that. Nevertheless, officially the government of Finland doesn’t allow gambling at foreign online casinos. The European Commission is against these rules and the Finnish monopoly, as it limits people’s choices. The Lottery Act remained unchanged even after all the regulatory bodies merged, so the government of Finland seems to stand its ground and has not changed its attitude towards the advertising of foreign online casinos in Finland.
![Gaming Law]( "Gaming Law")
According to the Finnish Gaming Law of 2010, the government will not block foreign gambling websites, but they can’t be advertised in Finland. However, this doesn’t prevent the people of Finland from playing at any online casino they want. The statistics from 2013 say that only €1.7 million was spent by the Finns in Finland online casinos. At the same time, they managed to spend €130-300 million at foreign casinos. The main reason that people are choosing casinos outside Finland is the limited variety of entertainment offered by the licensed and regulated Finnish gambling websites.
As Finns are really fond of gambling, and 8 out of every 10 people have placed bets at least once, their monopoly will soon break down. The figures show that 5 out of 10 people gamble at least once a week and, up to now, Finnish-based casinos haven’t been able to offer as many bonuses and games. Foreign online casinos are using aggressive marketing techniques to get into this lucrative market and offer their products to Finns.
They need gambling more than gambling needs them!
The existence of such strict rules with regard to gambling in Finnish-based casinos also has a good side. The main aim of the government is quite understandable, and even useful for the country, as all profits from online gambling in Finland are directed towards socially important activities. The money goes to support education, hospitals, and even the treatment of various addictions.
If you are looking for a good Finnish casino or an online casino that accepts Finnish clients, HolyMoly’s casino guide will help you make your choice.
How to Choose a Decent Finland Online Casino
Here are some tips to help players based in Finland choose a good online casino:
[LIST WITH ICONS]
![Countries]( "Countries")
First, you should check if you are permitted to play at this casino. Go to the terms and conditions and look for a list of restricted countries. If Finland does not appear on the list, bingo!, you can play here. Some casinos don’t have such a list, and you should get in touch with their customer support to find out the situation.
![License]( "License")
Licensing should be your top-priority, as it will be your only guarantee of security. It’s better to choose a casino with a Maltese license. They will be the most trustworthy for Finns![Finnish language]( "Finnish language")
The website should be available in Finnish. Usually, such casinos are oriented mainly towards northern Europe and offer not only Finnish-language options, but also Swedish and Norwegian.![Game library]( "Game library")
The game library should be big, with multiple providers. Some casinos even offer their games in Finnish. Moreover, some slots and casino games are created for Finns only.![Banking methods]( "Banking methods")
The most popular banking method for Finns is EuTeller, which is instant and convenient to use. They usually use the euro as currency, but a good online casino should also offer US dollars and krone.![Support 24/7]( "Support 24/7")
A casino’s customer support should work 24/7 and offer an international toll-free phone number to contact them whenever you like;![Mobile version]( "Mobile version")
The mobile version of the casino should be available without downloading any apps;![Promotional offers]( "Promotional offers")
Promotional offers for Finns can be a bit different, so it’s worth checking these carefully. Some casinos have even-stricter bonus terms for residents of Finland.
If you follow all these points, you should be able to find a good casino, but we’ve made things easier for you by creating a list of reputable and trusted casinos for players from Finland.
Online Casinos for Finnish Players
We’ve found the best online casinos Finland for you to make your choice easier and faster. Here is our top 10 chart:
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These are certainly not all the gambling websites that accept Finnish clients, but they are the most trusted ones. We recommend you to choose from this list but, first, check out the reviews on our portal in order to make the best use of the information.
So, if you are from Finland and gambling is your favorite hobby, you can choose any online casino you like, as it’s entirely legal. Be prepared to put some effort into finding the ideal casino for you. We hope you have found our article useful in making your choice.
First, you should check if you are permitted to play at this casino. Go to the terms and conditions and look for a list of restricted countries. If Finland does not appear on the list, bingo!, you can play here. Some casinos don’t have such a list, and you should get in touch with their customer support to find out the situation.
Licensing should be your top-priority, as it will be your only guarantee of security. It’s better to choose a casino with a Maltese license. They will be the most trustworthy for Finns
The website should be available in Finnish. Usually, such casinos are oriented mainly towards northern Europe and offer not only Finnish-language options, but also Swedish and Norwegian.
The game library should be big, with multiple providers. Some casinos even offer their games in Finnish. Moreover, some slots and casino games are created for Finns only.
The most popular banking method for Finns is EuTeller, which is instant and convenient to use. They usually use the euro as currency, but a good online casino should also offer US dollars and krone.
A casino’s customer support should work 24/7 and offer an international toll-free phone number to contact them whenever you like;
The mobile version of the casino should be available without downloading any apps;
Promotional offers for Finns can be a bit different, so it’s worth checking these carefully. Some casinos have even-stricter bonus terms for residents of Finland.
