Player Information & Mandatory Disclosures

The Legal Basis for Player Information

The reformed Gambling Act, which governs Finland’s gambling market, places a strong emphasis on player protection through transparency. A core component of this strategy is the requirement for operators to provide players with comprehensive, clear, and easily accessible information. The law mandates a series of disclosures designed to ensure players can make informed decisions, understand the risks, and access help if needed. The National Police Board is the supervisory authority responsible for enforcing these rules.

These requirements apply to all forms of gambling that will be opened to competition from 1 July 2027, namely online casino games, sports betting, and electronic money bingo. The goal is to create a consistent and safe user experience across all legally licensed sites operating in Finland.

Mandatory Information on All Pages

To ensure key details are always visible, the Gambling Act requires certain information to be permanently displayed on an operator's website, typically in the page footer. This serves as a quick reference point for players and a clear sign that the operator is licensed and regulated in Finland.

All licensed operators must display the following on their gambling website:

• The name of the licence holder and their official licence number issued by the National Police Board.
• The name of the supervisory authority: the National Police Board (in Finnish: Poliisihallitus).
• A clear notice of the minimum age for gambling, which is 18 years.
• Direct links to services offering help and support for problem gambling.
• A link to the national self-exclusion register, allowing players to block themselves from all licensed Finnish gambling sites.

Information Within the Player's Account

Transparency extends to the player's personal gambling activity. A fundamental rule of the new system is the prohibition of anonymous play. All gambling requires secure identification, meaning every player must have a registered account.

Inside their personal account area, customers must have unrestricted access to:

• Complete Gambling History: A detailed log of all bets, wins, losses, deposits, and withdrawals. This empowers players to track their activity over time.
• Responsible Gambling Tools: Self-service controls for setting mandatory financial and time-based limits. Players must be able to easily set, for example, daily or monthly deposit limits and playing time reminders.

The processing of this personal data is also regulated by data protection laws, with the Data Protection Ombudsman overseeing compliance in this area.

Game-Specific Disclosures

Beyond site-wide information, operators must provide detailed disclosures at the individual game level. This information must be presented clearly before or during gameplay, ensuring players understand the specific product they are using.

For each game, players must be able to see:

• Game Rules: A complete explanation of how the game works.
• Price of Participation: The cost per bet, spin, or round.
• Winning Probabilities: Information on the likelihood of winning, which for online slots and casino games is primarily expressed as the Return to Player (RTP) percentage. The RTP figure must be clearly displayed.

The Ministry of the Interior is expected to issue decrees that will further specify the exact technical requirements for how this information must be presented.

How the Rules Apply: Before and After 1 July 2027

Current System (Until 30 June 2027)

Until the new market opens, Veikkaus Oy holds the exclusive right to operate gambling in mainland Finland. Veikkaus is already subject to strict transparency requirements under the supervision of the National Police Board. The company is required to display game probabilities, provide responsible gambling tools, and has been progressively implementing mandatory identification across all its products to eliminate anonymous play.

The Licensed Market (From 1 July 2027)

From this date, all private operators who have been awarded a licence for online casino or betting must strictly adhere to all the information disclosure rules outlined in the Gambling Act. For players, the presence of these disclosures—especially the Finnish licence number and the reference to the National Police Board—will be the most reliable indicator that a website is operating legally in Finland's regulated market.