The people of Finland love entertainment and they embrace gambling as one of their favorite past times. All forms of wagering are legal in the country however, let it be known that the state runs entities that monopolize all gambling activities in the country.
Finland has two land-based casinos. One is located in the capital city of Helsinki and the name of the casino is Casino Helsinki. The other casino is located in Marieman, Aland island The Arkipelag hotel and casino.
The country is also open to online casinos and lately, they introduced nee online casinos which are indeed very promising, especially in the quality of games that casino sites will introduce and the numerous benefits. Finnish casinos or suomalaiset kasinot only offer the best and legit casino sites for the players to enjoy betting.
Brief Overview
In the 1930s slot machines were introduced in the country and they became an instant hit. It was so popular that private companies bought slot machines and used them for business purposes. Due to this reason, the government decided to close it, and was only available in charity institutions. It was later opened and the government put up a gambling regulator named RAY (Raha automaattiyhdistys). Its task is to look after and monitor all gambling activities on the land, especially slots.
The Lotteries Act 2001
The Act paved way for some changes in all major gambling activities and it clearly states in the Act that the government should come first and all gambling decisions should be upon the approval of the authority.
In the online casino, the people in Finland are allowed to wager on any offshore casino sites as long as they are legal but casino sites from abroad are not allowed to advertise in the country. For this reason, the government of Finland and the European Union don’t see eye to eye because the EU wanted to have good dealings with other countries but Finland put their foot down with regard to this matter.
The four gambling entities of Finland
There are four entities that govern and control all the betting activities on the land both online and land-based:
- Ray or Raha-automaattiyhdistys
Considered the most compelling and has the authority among the four, RAY is the pioneer among all entities. It manages until now the slots and other games like roulette, and land-based casino matters like getting a license all over the country.
- Veikkaos Oy
This entity is responsible for the national lottery of Finland. It also oversees sports betting and instant win games.
- Fintoto Oy
It is responsible for all horse race affairs and oversees pari-mutuel horse racing. Fintoto Oy also looks after horse race betting, the horse’s rights, and marketing.
- Alands Penningautomatförening or PAF
The PAF is responsible for the gambling affairs in the islands of Alands. They are also responsible for the cruise ships near the North and Baltic seas and all websites under PAF can be viewed by the entire country.
Final Insight:
The government of Finland is lenient about gambling, especially online casinos. However, there are rules of the country that has to be followed hence it is advised that one has to be followed.
