Lottery gambling is legal in Finland and operates under a state monopoly system, with the state-owned company Veikkaus Oy holding exclusive rights to organise all gambling including lotteries in mainland Finland (1). In Finland, gambling is regulated by the Finnish Lotteries Act, which aims to ensure the legal protection of players, prevent misuse and crime, and reduce economic, social and health-related harm resulting from gambling (1).
At the beginning of 2017, three previous gaming companies including Finland's Slot Machine Association, Veikkaus and Fintoto merged into a single operator called Veikkaus Ltd (2). The state monopoly system is considered the best way to combat economic, social and health-related harms resulting from gambling and to prevent misuse, with supervision of gambling services and marketing conducted by the National Police Board (1).
"According to the Government Programme, the Government will reform the gambling system and open it to competition using a licence model by 1 January 2026 at the latest."
According to the government programme, Finland will reform its gambling system and transition to a licensing model by January 1, 2026, with a government proposal submitted to Parliament on March 20, 2025 (1). The minimum age for playing gambling games including lotteries in Finland is 18 years, and since mandatory identification requirements were implemented, all players must identify themselves and register as customers of Veikkaus Oy (1).
Source:
https://intermin.fi/en/police/gambling
https://www.peluuri.fi/en/facts-advice/finnish-gaming-system
Last updated: 16-10-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
