Role of Finland’s new gambling “policeman” becomes clearer
As Finland moves toward the launch of its regulated online gambling market on July 1, 2027, enforcement responsibility is set to shift to a new supervisory authority operating under the Permit and Supervision Agency, replacing the National Police Board as the sector’s regulator.
The new body will be granted significantly expanded administrative powers aimed at safeguarding the licensed Finnish gambling market and aggressively curbing grey-market activity.
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Unlike the current framework, which relies heavily on criminal law, the authority will be able to impose administrative penalty fees, revoke licences for serious or repeated breaches, and act swiftly against non-compliance.
A central focus will be strict player identification and transaction authentication, requirements that are expected to push gambling operators toward bank-based instant verification technologies already common in Finland.
The gambling regulator will also gain direct powers to order the removal of illegal gambling content and, in severe cases, block domains from the .fi register.
The authority will be funded through tiered supervision fees paid by licensed operators, scaled to gross gaming revenue, ensuring long-term enforcement capacity.
The new gambling framework in Finland essentially breaks the monopoly the state had on gambling, and opens it up to private operators, who are expected to enter the fray in 2027.
Applications for the newly regulated Finnish gambling market are expected to open in March of this year.
