Finnish MP warns regulator may not be ready for 1 July 2027 online market opening
Sinuhe Wallinheimo, a Finnish MP who backed liberalisation, says the new gambling authority is still being set up less than a year before the market opens on 1 July 2027.
GamblingSource: iGaming Business
Finnish Member of Parliament Sinuhe Wallinheimo of the National Coalition Party has voiced concern that the country's future gambling regulator may not be ready in time for the opening of the online market. He made the remarks to iGB on the sidelines of SiGMA Rome. Wallinheimo was among those pushing for the new regulatory structure even before the most recent elections.
The market is due to open on 1 July 2027, and Wallinheimo said the authority has not yet been established. "We don't have the authority set up yet," he said, adding that he does not know what the outcome will be if work only begins now. On opening day, responsibility for gambling oversight will move from the National Police Board, which is currently handling licence applications, to a new unit within the Finnish Supervisory Agency. According to Wallinheimo, the unit is being built and recruitment is under way.
The new body will supervise the liberalised online market and all other gambling forms, and will also take over licence processing. B2C licence applications will stay open, while a window for B2B supplier licences will open on 1 July 2027. The launch date has already been delayed from an earlier one, with reports pointing to a staff shortage at the supervisory agency. Compliance lawyer and market expert Antti Koivula has also argued in an op-ed that, despite careful preparation, the new regulator may not be fully ready for the scale of the task.
Wallinheimo also questioned what style of oversight will emerge, contrasting a strict Swedish-type approach with limited dialogue with a Danish model in which operators and the supervisor cooperate closely.
He restated the case for reform, saying Finland had lost control of its market and that around €600-900 million in gambling revenue had gone overseas. He argued that a licensing regime would allow better player protection and tax collection. Channelisation is currently estimated at around 50%, while authorities aim for 90% after liberalisation.
Political support for opening the market is broad, unlike in many European countries that have moved towards tighter rules and higher taxes. Even monopoly operator Veikkaus has backed liberalisation of online gambling, and it will keep exclusivity over land-based gaming, scratchcards and the lottery. Wallinheimo described the shift in political thinking as very fast, driven by the monopoly system no longer working.
Based on reporting by iGaming Business.