Top-rated Live gambling sites in Finland

Finland is located in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Russia, Sweden, Norway and it has the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia as a defined point. The population of Finland is 5.5 million, and Helsinki is the capital, as well as the largest city.

Finland was considered an agrarian country until the 1950s, and after WW2, the country started the process of industrialization, which was quite rapid, and developed into an advanced economy, while also building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model. As for international relations, Finland joined the UN in 1955 and the official policy of neutrality was adopted.

Finland ranks very highly on numerous metrics of national performances, such as education, economic competitiveness, quality of life, civil liberties, as well as human development. The Fragile States Index ranked Finland as the most stable country in the world in the period of 2011-2016, and it also got the number one ranking on the World Happiness Report for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The monopoly of the Finnish government in the gambling sector has been in place for more than 70 years, and the market has always been closed to foreign and private operators. The first Slot Machine Association of Finland, called RAY, was established in 1938, then it was the Finnish National Lottery, Veikkaus Oy, and Fintoto Oy, the horse-racing and betting operator.

What is interesting with the gambling market in Finland is the fact that all profits go to public projects, such as arts, sciences, youth programs, and different sports. So, even when a player loses the money, it goes straight back into the nation, in a project that all benefit from. Finland has never seen gambling as a "disease".

As for online gambling, it became legal in 1996, when Vekkaus Oy became the first operator to gain a license for online gambling services. The main gambling website with live casino games was called Play Among Friends (PAF), which started operations in 2007.

In 2017, RAY, Veikkaus, and Fintoto merged into one operator – Veikkaus, still a state-owned operator. Foreign and private operators are forbidden to enter the market, but Finnish players can still access offshore domains as there is no legal framework that forbids them from it.

Nothing indicates that Finland's monopoly on all types of gambling, including online, will end any time soon. On the contrary, the Finnish government has made it clear that there will be no loosening up on the regulation, so it can be expected that the monopoly is there to stay. Their stance even indicates that they would like to have even more control, especially in the online gambling sector.

This monopoly has been in place since the 1930s, so it can be imagined what kind of effort it would take to change the current climate and state of gambling in Finland. As the monopoly has been in place for so long, many experts warn that changing this policy would have a negative impact on the gambling sector.

But, as always, there is room for improvement. Online gambling in Finland is quite widespread, so the government must take advantage of the potential the market offers. The government will keep an eye on developments in the gambling market in neighbors Sweden and Denmark, which have a more liberal approach to gambling in general, before making any changes.

All in all, no massive changes can be expected in Finland’s online gambling sector in the years ahead, the monopoly will probably be preserved, and possibly it will strengthen even more. Some players do not like this and they continue to turn to foreign live and online casinos to play their favorite games.

Land-based and live casinos in Finland are legal. The Lotteries Act is the main regulatory act of all online gambling activities in the country. Until 2017, there were three state-owned operators allowed to offer online gambling services in the country – Fintoto Oy, Veikkaus Oy, and RAY. In 2017 these three were merged into one company – Veikkaus Ltd – which is a state monopoly as well.

In the Åland Islands, the gambling sector is covered and operated by PAF. The regulatory body for land-based and online gambling activities there is the Ministry of Interior with its National Police Board. The legal gambling age in Finland is 18.

So, due to the fact that the government has total control and monopoly over the gambling sector, foreign operators cannot apply for a license to start their live casino operations in Finland. The only operators that can provide these services are Veikkaus in mainland Finland and PAF in the Aland Islands.

The EU is putting pressure on Finland to open its online gambling market to offshore operators, but so far the Finnish authorities did not succumb to the pressure and maintained that they plan to stick with the monopoly for the time being.

As Finnish people see live casinos and gambling in general as a healthy hobby, it is no wonder that there are plenty of live games that they enjoy. Let’s begin with live poker. This is an extremely attractive game, which requires a lot of skills. Live poker ranks highly among the favorite games of Finns.

Live roulette is a game that every live casino in Finland offers, and it has several types of games. Roulette as a game is one of the oldest games in history, it is quite simple to play, and it can be rewarding, so Finnish gamblers are more than open to trying their luck here. Live blackjack is also a worthy contender in this list, as it is a game that is also quite rewarding and simple to play.

As it is a state-run monopoly, Finnish players do not have much choice of choosing operators, and they choose to gamble at offshore live casinos. There are no laws prohibiting individuals from placing wagers on offshore operators, so players tend to make the most of that situation.

Other Casino Games

Besides the fact that Finnish punters love live casino games, they are also known to be quite fond of some regular online casino games. Slot games are always among the top choices for any player in the world, and Finland is no exception here.

Regular roulette, online poker, and blackjack are among the games that are accessed quite often by Finnish players. Some of these games offer quite appealing jackpots, which are sure to catch any player’s eye.

All live casinos offer different types of bonuses to new and existing players upon depositing money. The general rule that would apply before using these bonuses is to carefully check its terms and conditions, as most of these bonuses have a certain wagering requirement that needs to be fulfilled.

Finnish players do have access to a number of interesting bonus offers. Each live casino has its promotions, but there are certain bonuses and promotions that are common among the live casinos in Finland.

Welcome Bonus

The welcome bonus is available for newly registered players. These bonuses often cover the first deposit the players make. All welcome bonuses have so-called upper limits, this means that if the limit is set to $1,000 then that's the maximum amount of money the player can win.

No Deposit Bonus

No deposit bonuses are the next most popular, as players are not required to deposit any money. It's money that can be won without any risks. They often come in the form of free spins at a certain slot.

Cashback bonus

Lastly, cashback bonuses offer the chance to retrieve some of the cash that was lost. These bonuses are not as common as the welcome bonuses, but players feel more comfortable playing their favorite games if they know they can get some of the cash back.

How to Claim These Bonuses

The most important thing to do before using any bonus, players in Finland need to be aware that there are certain terms and conditions for every bonus and promotion. Welcome bonuses traditionally have the biggest T&C. These bonuses can only be claimed by newly registered players, and can only be used once.

They also require players to make a minimum deposit, which is different from one live casino to another. On the contrary, cashback bonuses are relatively simple to claim, and all the player is required to do is play the chosen game over some time period. This type of bonus comes with limits on the amount the player can receive.

Players also need to be aware that some live casinos may require them to enter certain bonus codes so they can claim the bonuses. All in all, make sure to read all the information connected to the bonus or the promotion before rushing to claim it.