Main Casino Licenses (60) Ministry of the Interior Finland

Online Casino Licensing in Finland

In Finland there is a state monopoly on the organisation of gambling activities. The only legal online casino sites are operated by RAY and PAF (Alands Penningautomat Foreining). RAY holds control over casinos on the Finnish mainland and PAF owns the monopoly on all forms of gambling in the Aland Province. The gambling policy is administered by the Ministry of the Interior of Finland.

Online Casinos with license Ministry of the Interior Finland
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Veikkaus Casino
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Veikkaus Casino
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Organisation of Gambling in Finland

In Finland the state controlled monopoly on gambling is operated by four different organisations. Gambling on the mainland of Finland is organised into 3 areas:

  1. Land based casinos, slots, table games and other traditional casino games such as roulette are operated by RAY.
  2. Veikkaus Oy operates the national lottery, sports betting and instant win games.
  3. The horse racing market is regulated by Fintoto Oy.

The Aland Province is an autonomous region of over 6,700 islands and PAF has the state monopoly on all gambling activities.

The only legal online casinos are operated by PAF and Ray. Although it is illegal for foreign websites to operate in Finland, there is currently no censorship or capabilities to block financial transactions from Finnish players.

Jurisdiction

The organisation of gambling activities in Finland is based on the Lotteries Act (1047/2001), as amended up to 617/2019.

The law is supplemented by:

Authorised bodies:

  1. The Finnish Ministry of the Interior is responsible for developing the gambling policy and coordinating it with the relevant legislation.
  2. An advisory council under the Ministry of the Interior is appointed by the government for a parliamentary term and controls the implementation of the goals of the gambling policy.
  3. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the National Institute of Health and Welfare are responsible for monitoring and researching problems related to gambling and developing prevention and treatment measures.
  4. The Gambling Administration department of the National Police Board issues licences and supervises lotteries, guessing games, fundraising campaigns, entertainment machine and bingo operations.

Annual action plans, budgets and financial reports are submitted to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior and the Department of Gambling Administration of the National Police Directorate. Reports on measures to prevent and reduce economic, social and health problems associated with the organisation of gambling activities in Finland are also prepared annually.

Arbitration

According to the Law on Lotteries (1047/2001) a player can write to the National Police Board requesting that they recommend a decision to settle a dispute between themselves and a gambling organisation regarding the payment of winnings. The recommendation is issued free of charge and must be applied within 30 days.

Authority

The Paf Casino website has a certificate issued by the internationally accredited testing agency eCOGRA. This confirms that they uphold standards in the internet entertainment industry and protects the rights of its members. PAF also has a high level of information security, as evidenced by the ISO / IEC 27001: 2013 certification.

Return Rate for Players

eCOGRA tracks the Return To Player (RTP) of PAF games LINK each month and evaluates the output of a random number generator (RNG) for online entertainment.

Average payout percentage by category of gambling (for August 2020):

  • All games - 96.71%.
  • Slot machines - 96.21%.
  • Tabletop entertainment - 97.32%
  • Poker games - 97.28%.

These numbers reflect the ratio of the total winnings of the participant to the total number of bets for the period under consideration.

How the State uses Gambling Revenues

Veikkaus Oy's gambling income is distributed annually as follows:

  • 53% - for the development of sports and physical culture, science and art
  • 43% - for the development of the health care system to improve the social well-being of the country
  • 4% - for horse breeding and equestrian sports development

Paf's gambling income is distributed among associations that work to improve the lives of local residents with social and sports projects.

Fintoto Oy uses the money generated from horse racing to improve horse sporting activities and horse breeding.

FAQ
Which gambling entertainment is subject to licensing in Finland?

In Finland, a commodity lottery (where the prize is a product or gift cards), bingo and slot machines are subject to licensing.

Does Paf develop and create its own games?

Yes. Paf Games Studio launches between 6 and 8 new products annually.