As Finland moves forward with its new gambling bill, Veikkaus has introduced a leadership change that adds to a period of transition for the operator.
Veikkaus deputy CEO...
Finland delays gambling bill amid lack of staff
Finland’s Administrative Committee has called to delay the implementation of the commercial licensing gambling market until July 1, 2027, as the Licensing and Supervision Agency reported insufficient staffing to meet the initial deadline.
The market was initially set to launch on January 1, 2027. On this issue, Parliament representatives Tuomas Kettunen and Sinuhe Wallinheimo debated whether the delay was because of election politicking.
The concerns arise because the timing of the delay aligns with the coming election in 2027, and the gambling framework is expected to be a key topic during the election buildup.
Kettunen argued that the Coalition Party is concerned that its election advertising would be influenced by gambling advertising regarding the market’s launch, which is why the party wanted the delay.
Wallinheimo assured that the reason behind the delay is the lack of staff, which prevents the agency from fulfilling the demands of the Licensing and Supervision Agency’s responsibilities as regulator of the commercially licensed market.
Wallinheimo addressed the issue:
“The Licensing and Supervision Authority needs dozens of people to carry out this supervision. Such an organization, Representative Kettunen, will not exist before 2027. That is why it made sense to take a six-month break here so that people can genuinely get to work there and they know what they are supervising, after which they can then do their job properly.”
While stakeholders are hopeful that the arguments will be settled quickly, it’s clear that the delay in implementation is inevitable.
A new gambling framework in Finland with two drafts, which will allow operators to apply for licenses, is expected to be passed at the start of 2026, with the actual market...
