Where to bet safely in Finland and which bookmakers have the best offers for the Finnish players. Get a list of the most reputable online betting companies in our chart below:
Leading Online Bookmakers in Finland
Aside from the nearly impeccable reputations of the locally licensed betting venues, Finland’s players and bettors under current legislation remain free to play at any of the world’s foremost international online casinos and sportsbooks. This allows local players to access a massive variety of top-quality online entertainment venues, all having received global acclaim for the quality of their gaming range and services.
22bet
Despite its recent 2017 entry into the online bookmaking 22bet already established itself as one of the world’s heavy hitters in the sports betting market, by featuring an impressively comprehensive range of sports and betting markets. The brand has become known for consistently offering of the most competitive odds in the industry, especially so on its most popular sports types like football and tennis.
- Advantages:
- Multi view live bettgin section
- Great markets
- Useful betting features
- High odds
- Superb casino
- Disadvantages:
- Slow support
Betway
Unsurprisingly, Betway’s hard-earned reputation for excellence preceded its initial delivery of services to Finland’s bettors. The bookmaker built on its global popularity by quickly establishing itself as one of the most trusted international brands in Finland. Aside from offering a fully Finnish website, their sportsbook features a comprehensive range of betting options that also includes Asian Handicaps. In addition, its sportsbook allows punters to view all events via live-streamed video feeds.
- Advantages:
- Well-reputed brand
- Excellent sportsbook
- Various casino games
- Useful betting features
- Free bet club available
- Disadvantages:
- Low withdrawal ranges
Why Many Prefer Finland’s Online Betting
The only Nordic country part of the EU and topping the Global Information Technology charts, Finland, ranked the 2nd largest high-technology manufacturer possessing the 4th largest economy in Europe, has a per capita income of US$ 48,579.90 which sets it at 385% of the world average, counting it amongst the wealthiest nations on earth.
This IT rich environment and high-income levels combined with a culturally entrenched love of gambling and betting traceable back to the 17th century turned Finland’s online betting and casino venues into a player’s paradise that manages to actively attract 78% of the nation.
Is Online Betting Legal in Finland?
The Finnish state has a government-controlled monopoly over all forms of gambling, including online, within its borders. The nation’s online gambling industry, ranked as the 5th largest in the world become one of its government’s major sources of income with an annual spend in excess of $10 million on sportsbetting, slot machines, and lottery tickets. Finland’s penal code banned all forms of gambling for a brief period stretching from 1899 until 1917 when the nation regained its independence.
Since its reintroduction in 1917 gambling remained legal, with the 2011 Lotteries Act currently regulating all forms of betting and gambling interests and activities. As such, the country’s legislation governing its gambling industry requires all operators to hold a state-issued licence, and currently, only its state-run Veikkaus has been issued with such a licence.
While Finland’s residents may legally gamble at any of its state-controlled online and land-based operators, the law forbids offshore operators from advertising their services and products within its borders, thereby maintaining its legalised monopoly over all local gambling services, venues, and products. Interestingly, no law forbids a Finnish citizen from becoming a patron of any of the vast number of international casino and sportsbook brands currently available online.
Are there restrictions on Finnish players by some bookmakers?
The Finnish state impose nearly no limitations on the actions of its citizens’ gambling practices. It does, however, impose a restriction on local advertising for foreign operators. Few offshore bookmakers and casinos impose restrictions on approving memberships issued to online players from Finland.
Gambling Facts at a Glance
As the only Nordic country to join the EU in 1996, the country chose to replace the Finnish Markka with the single-currency euro in 2002 making it the country’s only legal tender.
As of 2019, an estimated 5.6 million people reside within Finland’s borders earning it the 118th position in world population rankings. Located in Northern Europe’s Fennoscadia geographical region Finland borders three self-governing nations, Norway, Sweden, and Russia.
In 2019 Finland has an estimated player base in excess of 4.3 million active gamblers of which 74% engaged in Lotto/Jokeri/Vikinglotto, while 37% supported the Veikkaus lottery, and 36% played slot machines, with online gambling predominantly supported by players in the age groups 25 – 34.
Finland’s Ministry of the Interior serves as the country’s sole controlling body and regulator responsible for enforcing the law in both the country’s land-based and online gambling industries. In 2017, the government elected to unify the three state-run gambling operations under one banner, Veikkaus.
The legal system governing Finland’s burgeoning gambling industry recognises and provides licences for the following gambling products: Betting, Poker, Sportsbetting, Lottery, slots and several other types of machine-based gambling, Terminal gaming, and Bingo.
Discounting the smorgasbord of leading international offshore gambling operators such as 22Bet, Bet365, and Betfair where Finnish national spend €2.2 million per annum, Finland’s legal system allows for only three state-run gambling enterprises.
These comprise of the:
- Alands Penningautomat Foreining (PAF) responsible for regulating an extensive number of online gambling operations, including online casinos, online sportsbooks, online poker rooms, and bingo websites with their proceeds contributing to local sports and social projects.
- RAY, serving as a regulatory body responsible for controlling land-based casino venues offering slot machines, table games, and other casino-type games with it proceeds adding to the financing of PAF funded NGOs.
- Veikkaus Oy, the authority responsible for Finland’s National Lottery with its proceeds going towards supporting local culture, art, science, and sports.
- Fintoto Oy, the responsible regulatory body in control of the horse racing market, ploughing its proceeds back into improving horse sports-related activities and breeding.
- Finnish authorities have also resisted continued pressure from the EU urging the country to open its tightly controlled market and allow offshore operators into the market.
How to Choose the Right Online Betting Site
Finnish and international punters from other regions who consider finding a new online betting partner most suited to meet their particular personal requirements may want to add the following pertinent questions to their list of requirements.
- Do the brands on your shortlist all hold a valid licence allowing them to operate in your region?
- Can you verify their reputation for providing secure, trustworthy, and fair gaming services?
- What types of contact methods do they offer for contacting their customer services, & support centre operating hours and response times?
- Do they feature suitable banking methods to fund your player account, what are the processing times for withdrawals?
- How comprehensive are their ranges of sports selections, betting markets, and betting products?
- Do they feature worthwhile promotional bonuses and special offers not only to new but also to existing members?
Bonuses for Finnish Players
Online bookmakers find the wealth inherent to the local Finnish gambling market a highly attractive consideration and subsequently offer some highly lucrative deals to Finnish players wanting to sign-up and join them as members. The range of promotions targeting the attention of local gamblers includes the complete spectrum of special offers available in the industry. As such, it covers all aspects of online sportsbooks.
Finland’s newly joining players have access to a variety of daily, weekly, and monthly percentage deposit matching or lost first bet matching bonuses while existing players have the benefit of deal sweetening via % marching reload bonuses, percentage returns on losses as free bets, enhanced ACCAs, boosted odds, and several others.
Most Popular Sports to Bet on in Finland
Unsurprisingly, despite the worldwide and local popularity of football as a practised sport, Ice Hockey enjoys an almost religious following having become a national pride in the country, outdoing all other sports in terms of viewership totals amongst Finnish bettors. Similarly, Harness racing, generally considered a niche sports throughout the rest of the world, enjoys a large following amongst local horse bettors.
- Football
- Horse Racing
- Harness Racing
- Ice Hockey
Are Online Casinos Popular in Finland?
Health care studies based on industry reports show Finnish nationals spend more than $2 billion per annum on gambling-related activities. Finland has over 76 gambling arcades, and more than 250 restaurants featuring casino gaming tables in addition to its 30,000 slot machines distributed to venues throughout the nation. A Finnish online casino player even triggered one of the industry’s largest ever slots related progressive jackpot wins.
Trivia/Did you know that…
- Sara Chafak, a former Miss Finland who represented the nation in the 2012 Miss Universe pageant, played an entertaining, brilliant bluff on an empty hand causing poker pro Ronnie Bardah to fold his much stronger hand thereby losing the first round to send him to the cage in the televised poker show Shark Cage
- Despite its long, dark winters, a study survey ranked the Finnish people as the happiest nation on earth with over 78% of its people actively gambling while living in the least fragile economy in the world
- Veikkaus, the state-owned gambling brand, generates over €1 billion per year in gambling revenues which the state subsequently channels directly back into local societies. Assisting wounded & disabled war veterans, sports organisations, youth programmes, NGO’s, and many other charitable causes for the common good of the nation. This gave rise to the slogan “A Finn always wins (even when he loses)”
- By 2021 Veikkaus aims to add player identification to all its slot machines (including online) to aid its responsible gambling practices in setting spending and play-time limits for players
- Finnish gambling operators PAF and RAY both operate legally in Finland under the Veikkaus held gambling operator’s license
Available Mobile Apps
Finland enjoys high levels of attention from several of the online industry’s most prominent online sportsbook and casino brands. As a result, locals playing at any of the brands discussed above also have access to several cutting edge mobile access solutions in the form respectively branded dedicated apps and top-tier mobile portals/virtual versions. These serve to provide full access to each brand’s complete range of sports types, betting markets, banking solutions, and customer support teams for both iOS and Android-based mobile smart devices.
All mobile portals provide the added convenience off accessing all the features provided by your favourite online sportsbook’s full website via your preferred mobile device directly from within your favourite mobile browser without the need to download any additional software.
Supported Payment Methods
Forming part of the EU and accepting the euro as its sole form of fiat currency allows Finland’s punters and players to finance their online sportsbook or casino accounts using their home currency. Being Europe and UK based themselves the mentioned list of sportsbook providers all offer a large range of locally popular, internationally recognised, and trusted banking options.
These cover all aspects of commonly sued banking, including credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard, e-Wallets including Skrill and Neteller, while indirect electronic payment systems from internationally recognised brands PayPal and POLi.
Finland’s legal system imposes no taxes on incomes derived from gambling winnings, provided such winnings did not come from wagers made on events operated by companies based in non-EEA countries.
FAQs
Is it safe for a Finnish national to bet online at an offshore sportsbook?
Yes, completely with respect to local laws. However, it may pose a significant financial risk should the player stray away from one of the internationally recognised sportsbooks and casino brands.
Which are the best brands where I can safely wager on Pesäpallo?
The best online brands to wager on sports most popularly enjoyed in Finland is Bet365, Betfair, and 22Bet.
Does Finland allow matched betting?
Yes, for the best prices and service, refer to any of the mentioned international sportsbook brands.
How long must I wait for a withdrawal to reflect in my bank account?
This would more depend on the banking methods you choose when requesting a withdrawal. You should request this information from your banking service.
What processing delays must I wait for before the operator approves my membership?
None, you can log in and start playing immediately once you’ve completed the registration procedure. However, before the sportsbook in question will require you fully verify your identity and account ownership rights before they will approve and process any withdrawal request.
From what age can I start betting in Finland?
According to Finnish law, you must have celebrated your 18th birthday before you may start wagering within the Finnish nation.
How do I know which games will allow me to win with the greatest frequency while I’m still new to gambling and still learning?
Each software developer provides a listing of their games containing each one’s tested respective Return To Player (RTP) percentage. The higher the percentage, the more likely you will win often but smaller amounts, in contrast, the lower the RTP, the lower the frequency of wins but feature wins offering conversely higher payout values.
Final Comments
Few countries on earth offer players the benefit of complete online betting freedom the way Finland does, yet endeavours to control the betting market so completely and effectively to provide its players with the protection they deserve. Moreover, the Finland government re-invests all the profits it made back into the development and health of its citizens by providing massive sponsorships for the furthering and wide-ranging development of arts, culture, sports, and many other fields. Despite being government-controlled entities, the quality of gambling in Finland remains at a high level and gives the feel of trustworthiness and safety normally absent in the international environment. PAF owned and operated venues have also gained a reputation for delivering a large number of progressive jackpot winners, which further boosts the appeal of its products internationally.
