Top Casinos and Best Banking Options for Finnish Players

Finland Set to Scrap Veikkaus’s Gambling Monopoly

An updated gambling law came into force in January 2022. Its main takeaways are strengthening responsible gambling measures while maintaining the existing monopoly system. There were also plans to issue payment-blocking orders against iGaming companies in violation of the reformed Lotteries Act.

In 2022, Finland announced a reform of the Lotteries Act that will ban the pay-n-play model favored by Finnish players. As of January 1, 2023, online casinos and sports betting sites with Pay N Play direct bank deposits must include more payment services. At the same time, banks must block transactions related to the online gambling industry.

These blocks only apply to deposit transfers since the Finnish constitution has prevented withdrawals of winnings from gambling sites. Moreover, the prevention of the pay-n-play gambling model refers to the casino and sports betting sites that are blacklisted by the Police Board of Finland. If the board determines the gambling site markets its services to Finnish players, this iGaming brand will end up on the list.

Also, from 2023, the Finnish government has a plan to modernize its online gambling regulation by establishing a licensing system for online gambling. The country should launch an investigation into ending its gambling monopoly and institute licensing for iGaming sites that are not part of Veikkaus.

The aim is to protect players since non-Veikkaus iGaming operators aren’t regulated. Moreover, the state doesn’t charge fees from non-licensed sites, meaning the profits from online gaming go to other countries. However, Veikkaus will continue to control land-based and lottery gaming even if the reform comes into force.

Finnish Market Updates

• January 2023: Tytti Tuppurainen (Minister of European Affairs and Ownership Steering) reveals that Finland is preparing to remove the online gaming monopoly from the state-owned Veikkaus.
• January 2023: The reform of Finland’s Lotteries Act introducing payment blocks comes into force. The reform affects Pay N Play payment services, which are no longer available.
• December 2021: The Finnish Parliament approves the Finnish Gambling Law reform with changes that are expected to enter into force in January 2022.
• January 2021: A number of proposals to reform Finland’s gambling legislation reach the government, which opens consultations and schedules parliament debates after the summer of 2021.
• September 2022: The EU’s northernmost country is moving to adopt a licensing model and establish a fully regulated market by 2026. This would mean an end to Finland’s state monopoly.

Online casinos accepting Finnish players are either licensed by the Finnish government or by foreign entities that have been recognized by the industry. All the best online casinos recommended by CasinoBankingMethods.com at least, you can be sure of that.

International operators servicing Finnish customers have an increased presence on the market, and their websites are mostly licensed by regulators such as MGA, UKGC, Alderney, or Gibraltar. Curacao also appears from time to time, but Malta is probably the most frequent license issuer you will encounter playing at Finnish casinos.

Finnish casinos are designed with Finns in mind, meaning they will not only offer software and slot games popular among Finnish players but also deposit and withdrawal methods that Finnish online punters find to be the best.

Banking services can be good even if they come offshore from providers used to operating in international environments. Nevertheless, it is always good to keep in mind local payment methods, as they usually prevail.

The reasons why local payment options are typically found more suitable than universal banking solutions are their convenience, accessibility, and affordability.

Finns are likely to be familiar with options such as Euteller, Entercash, Siru Mobile, and Zimpler, which is why many Finnish-oriented casinos offer them. Other excellent methods to consider using are Google Pay, Apple Pay, Trustly, and Nordea.

Casinos that accept online banking are particularly attractive to players using Suomen Verkkomaksut, a brand specializing in e-payments approved by the government. Finnish people are some of the most tech-savvy on the planet, which makes e-wallets and online banking options the perfect fit for topping up gambling accounts.

Euteller

Euteller is a popular payment option to use at casinos in Finland. It lets Finnish players easily deposit money from their bank accounts to their casino accounts. There are usually no extra fees, and the money is available right away. You can also cash out your winnings quickly and securely using Euteller. It’s a trusted option for Finnish players because of its reliability and safety. Deposits are instant, but withdrawals might take a bit longer to process. Overall, Euteller makes banking in Finland online gaming easy and convenient for players in Finland.

Siru Mobile

Siru Mobile is a popular payment method among casinos in Finland, offering a safe and secure way for players to deposit and withdraw funds. Catering specifically to the Finnish market, Siru Mobile enables quick deposits directly billed to the user’s mobile phone account, ensuring instant accessibility without the need for additional bank accounts or cards. Deposits are fast, with funds instantly available for gameplay, but withdrawals are not supported through Siru Mobile. There are no fees charged by Siru Mobile for deposits, but casinos may apply their own fees.

Miss Finland is more than just a pretty face. Sara Chafak is a beauty pageant winner, yes. But she is also a rap artist, a host of a cooking show, a model, and a poker player. After events like the Finnish version of Dancing on Ice, she decided to participate in a televised poker tournament Shark Cage in 2014.

What happened in that tournament became part of contemporary poker history, as Chafak bluffed professional poker pro Ronnie Bardah in a heated Texas Hold’em round worth $701,000. The video went viral, and Sara became an icon of beauty and intelligence many would love to possess.

Patrik Antonius is a Helsinki native who was talented in sports and became a professional tennis player. However, a back injury stopped his tennis career, and a door opened for Patrick to discover poker. His career started booming after he began playing online poker in 2003. He was a familiar name on platforms like Full Tilt and Poker Stars, where his nick was FinddaGrind.

Antonius is most famous for holding the record for the biggest pot win in online poker history. He played against Victor Blom, known as Isildur1, and won $1,346,946. While Patrik’s focus were online games, he also has significant live tournament earnings.

Patrik Antonius and Ilari Sahamies met at a local billiard hall, which led to the young Sahamies starting to play poker. He became a specialist in pot-limit Omaha cash games with high stakes. Finnish poker pro Sami Kelopuro and Iilari cofounded the online poker hub Coinflip.com.

At the poker table, Sahamies is known as a trash talker. He also likes to drink alcohol, which proved to be a bad idea since he lost $700,000 in a single day and more than $3 million over four years due to his drinking habit. Under the nickname Ziigmund, Ilari made a name for himself and was known as the one giving the chills to opponents at the table.