Remote Gambling in Finland – Lotteries Act Regulates Gambling

Finland (June 2 2023)

Remote gambling

Types

Is remote gambling permitted and, if so, what types?

Finland has a gambling monopoly in place, and the state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus has the exclusive right to arrange and market all forms of gambling. However, it is not prohibited for foreign gambling operators to accept customers from Finland or to offer them gambling products. Additionally, it is not prohibited for Finnish customers to use the services of foreign gambling operators. In that sense, no form of remote gambling is prohibited.

Licensing

What are the criteria for obtaining a licence to operate remote gambling?

The question is not applicable since Finland has a gambling monopoly in place, and the state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus has the exclusive right to arrange and market all forms of gambling.

How do the licensing criteria for remote gambling operators differ from those applicable to land-based operators?

The question is not applicable since Finland has a gambling monopoly in place, and the state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus has the exclusive right to arrange and market all forms of gambling.

Cross-border gambling

May operators located in other countries offer internet gambling to consumers in your jurisdiction without obtaining a licence there?

Finland has a gambling monopoly in place, and the state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus has the exclusive right to arrange and market all forms of gambling. At the same time, it is not prohibited for foreign gambling operators to accept customers from Finland or to offer them gambling products. Additionally, it is not prohibited for Finnish customers to use the services of foreign gambling operators. However, pursuant to Finnish law, foreign operators are prohibited from conducting marketing activities in Finland or targeting Finnish individuals in their marketing campaigns or marketing measures.

May operators licensed in your jurisdiction offer internet gambling to consumers in other countries?

Finland has a gambling monopoly in place, and the state-owned gambling operator Veikkaus, which has the exclusive right to arrange and market all forms of gambling, is only allowed to provide its online services for customers permanently residing in Finland.

Taxes

What tax rate applies to each form of remote gambling?

Regarding tax, Finnish law does not differentiate between land-based gambling and remote gambling. The gambling tax rate has been temporarily lowered, and it is 5 per cent for 2023. From 2024 onwards, the tax rate will return to 12 per cent. The tax rate is calculated from the proceeds.

Article By: Antti Koivula, Heikki Koivula and Minna Ripatti

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SOURCES: Legal Gaming Attorneys at Law – Lexology.