SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Finland’s Government has made the decision to move horseracing betting under the commercial gambling sector’s jurisdiction, instead of the monopoly.
The country is preparing to launch competitive online gambling in January 2026 as it moves away from its legacy monopoly model. Monopoly operator Veikkaus will now compete against licensed operators for market share across both online sports betting and gaming.
Furthermore, as part of a new shift in policy, funding for horseracing activities will now be offered directly towards breeding initiatives and consultancy for horseracing operators from the state budget.
A statement detailing Finland’s Ministry of the Interior’s decision read: “As a result of the solution, the allocations for the promotion of horse breeding and horse sports will no longer be allocated to competitive activities.
“In the future, through the state budget, support will be allocated to breeding, operator-specific advice in the horse industry and the development of the competition system, as well as to Hippos ry, which is responsible for the industry’s general development work, anti-doping control and advice.”
Overall, the update aims to reduce and ultimately eradicate gambling disadvantages in the nation by improving channelisation in the Finnish market.
The statement concluded: “After the policy made by the ministerial committee, the draft law is supposed to be sent to the EU Commission for notification.
“The purpose of the procedure is to get possible feedback from the Commission and other EU member states on the proposal’s consistency with EU legislation and the principles of free movement. The government’s proposal is to be presented to the parliament in the spring session of 2025.”
