Beginners Gambling Guide for Finland

The state controls online gambling. The entities responsible for managing the industry are REY, Veikkaus Oy, and Fintoto Oy, as well as a specially created organization for the Aland Province and its 6,700 islands. This one is called PAF. Our database even has a peculiar online lobby called PAF Casino that provides official and state-regulated gambling services to Finnish players. The revenue from this online lobby goes to support the Aland Province community.

Overall, each of the mentioned state organizations has a monopoly on authorizing different gambling venues, those online or offline, for sports, games, or lotteries. There are, therefore, not that many online lobbies to visit that are officially recognized by the state.

Despite international companies not being allowed within the Finnish markets, many of them have licenses that allow them to operate throughout Europe. These licenses (including the one from the Malta Gaming Authority) allow such platforms to welcome Finnish players. This creates a peculiar environment where technically, the operators do not break the laws of the reviewed country but there have already been precedents in neighboring countries. For instance, as soon as Norway and Denmark sorted out their laws around online gambling these countries allowed international operators to obtain local licenses. At the same time, they sued quite a few websites that did not apply for permits but continued targeting Norwegian and Danish players.

The situation is currently different in Finland. With the market being non-friendly to international suppliers, the latter continue targeting Finnish gamblers without necessarily being responsible to comply with what Finland has within its own country. And there are 1,000s of Finnish players engaging in online gambling at international lobbies on the daily basis.

MGA is the preferred authority for players from Finland. It is an independent commission that has earned its outstanding reputation and the list of casinos that went rogue under the MGA permit is relatively slow. 

On the other hand, MGA does not support certain services that many Finnish gamblers may consider important. One of such services is gambling in crypto. This is something jurisdictions of Curacao or Cyprus may authorize. Their permits are also strong and reliable but still, additional research of reputation is recommended.

Some other jurisdictions that allow Finland is the Isle of Man, Alderney, PAGCOR, and Costa Rica, among others.

Along with a permit that we have already discussed in the FAQs above, a good online operator will also have its owner on display. The companies that manage online lobbies are usually mentioned in the footers of websites. Knowing an owner means being able to check its history of doing business, as well as the network and sister sites.

Reliable payment methods clearly stated bonus T&C, certified content creators, as well as easily reachable support representatives, are also among the signs of an online operator that means business. Also, we always recommend exploring what the gambling community has to say about a particular place to bet and win. Luckily, doing this type of research is easy. There are plenty of gambling forums, including an active forum that our partners at LCB maintain, where registered players share their feedback on good and bad sites. The Finnish gambling community is quite active on such forums.

When it comes to Finland, players from this country can enjoy most of the locally popular banking methods in international cashiers. If we are talking about cards, Visa, Maestro, and MasterCard are some of the cornerstone banking solutions across 100s of websites. Plus, there is a decent selection of prepaid vouchers, with Paysafecard being among the leaders.

Finnish users enjoy e-wallets, and luckily, the online gambling industry relies on these banking solutions greatly. Neteller, Skrill, ecoPayz, and MiFinity are among the brands almost always listed in the cashiers. Plus, Finnish gamblers will oftentimes be able to enjoy such country-specific methods of depositing as Euteller and Pay n Play, as well as Trustly. Siru Mobile is also high on the list of payment methods used in international cashiers, as is Paylevo.

Both variants are equally viable and equally popular among Finnish gamblers. EUR is convenient due to a variety of deposit and withdrawal methods to choose from. This currency is supported by cards, official bank transfers, prepaid vouchers, and e-wallets. It is also easier to withdraw physical money from an online e-wallet. The list of cons includes slower cashout speed for bank transfers, as well as the high cost of payouts, from a fixed rate of 2-3% for cards to up to 50 EUR worth of fees for bank transfers.

Crypto has its pros. Among them is a higher cashout speed. It may take an online operator between five to seven workdays to process a bank transfer withdrawal in EUR but it usually takes crypto-wallets less than 24 hours (or in the best-case scenario, cashouts can be instant). Plus, transactions within the blockchain are free, which leads to significant cuts in the cost of casino withdrawals. On the other hand, these fees may grow for a player that wants to convert crypto into physical cash. High volatility is also among the cons of any token.

The online gambling industry usually leans towards ten to a dozen of popular types of crypto. The list includes Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, Doge, Tether, and Ripple. All of these currencies are available to players from Finland and the key is to find an online operator that offers services to the reviewed country and operates in crypto.

Getting started with crypto gambling is as simple as using any regular e-wallet. A newbie is recommended to select a blockchain and create an account in it. A small tip: there are also quite a few crypto wallets now that allow managing several types of tokens under one account, so instead of registering in one blockchain, it can be simpler to set an account with a multi-token e-wallet. Cardano is one of such platforms that supports diverse digital currencies.

Once an account is created, the next steps are to verify it and load it with tokens. They can be purchased or exchanged online, on official exchange platforms.

Select one depending on the preferred cashout speed and fees. Here is a closer look at the pros and cons of the main payment methods:

• Cards are generally reliable, and instantly process deposits. They also have fixed fees. The list of cons includes slower cashouts (it takes between one to three workdays to withdraw wins to a card) and vulnerability of personal information. Many players prefer not to use cards because it involves potential exposure of sensitive card information.
• E-wallets are fast and simple, and they allow you to save on withdrawal fees since transactions within any e-wallet network are free of charge. On the other hand, fees will apply when sending funds further from an e-wallet to a card in an attempt to withdarw physical cash. If you are ready to keep the funds online and use them at online cashiers of casinos and other merchants, e-wallets are highly recommended.
• Prepaid vouchers are fast and easy to use, and they also have no additional deposit fees. Their con is the fact that prepaid vouchers are not suitable for cahsouts.
• Bank transfers are not suitable for deposits but serve as a reliable withdrawal method. Low cashout speed and high fees are among their cons.

There are cash-based promotions and spins-based deals. Most of the cash-based promotions are a cash match of sorts — a certain percentage of money that an online operator is ready to send to a player’s account after a player’s deposit. If the deposit is 20 Euros, and the bonus is a 100% cash match that once a deposit is made, a player can proceed to gamble with a total balance of 40 Euros. Reloads are also cash match deals.

Cashback is a certain percentage of losses sent back to the player’s account. Cashback usually has a clearly stated percentage, minimum losses, and time frames. For instance, an online operator is ready to reimburse 15% on losses of no less than 300 Euros made during a week on slots. 

The third most popular type of promotion is free spins. They can be part of welcome or ongoing deals or offered as standalone promotions.

Plus, an operator can maintain tournaments, prize draws, bonuses for referring friends to register, as well as VIP perks.

It is a cash incentive, for sure, but it is not free. Regardless of whether a player claims a cash bonus or free spins, there will be T&C attached to the deal. These are the terms under which a player agrees to use promotional cash. The terms will include allowed and prohibited games, maximum bets per spin/round, types of banking methods that can be used to make depsoits, as well as the rollover requirements.

Also known as the wagering or the playthrough terms, this is the number of times a casino expects a player to roll over the cash on slots (or other games). The wagering requirements can refer only to the promotional cash, deposited cash, or both. In the T&C, it is usually marked as 20xB, 20xBD, or 20xD (there can be any number instead of 20).

There is a great proposition in Casumo. The website provides a 100% cash match on the initial deposit. The deal may exceed 1,000 EUR and it will be topped with bonus spins. The rollover requirements for the offer are 30xB, and slot machines will contribute 100% to the requirements.

Another platform with a noteworthy Finnish welcome deal is Videoslots. Known for thousands of reeled adventures in its instant and mobile-friendly lobby, the brand supports Finnish newbies with a 100% cash match on the initial deposit. It has to be rolled over 35xB. Plus, those who would like to test the services of Videoslots for free can claim 11 free spins prior to making a deposit.

Our database indicates that there are well over 50 websites with no-deposit promotions for Finland. One such location is BoyleSports Casino. This is a multi-betting place to bet and win with a big Sportsbook, 100s of slot machines, and a live dealer lobby. The no-deposit deal amounts to 10 EUR and has to be played through 20xB.

Another place to bet and win that we can recommend is Galaksino. The cash offer there is slightly smaller than at BoyleSports and amounts to 5 EUR. The wagering requirements are 20xB and the offer is compatible with slot machines. Wins from it can be withdrawn but the promotion expires quickly so the wagering needs to be done immediately after the welcome offer was claimed.

Finally, before exploring the list of no-deposit-friendly websites on your own, check out iNetBet. Powered by RealTime Gaming, the platform offers 10 EUR to all of its newbies and the rollover requirements are lower than at BoyleSports and Galaksino — only 15xB.

According to our database, more than 30 places to bet and win have ongoing deals for Finland. For instance, the deal at HighWay Casino is a cash match on new games. Plus, there are reloads for certain days of the week, as well as deals for BTC players and those who deposit via Neosurf. The rollover requirements will vary depending on the promotion.

Another location with ongoing promotions is Magic Box Casino. Powered by Playtech, it has referral bonuses for inviting friends. Once a friend makes a deposit and wagers cash, the one who referred this friend receives 25 EUR. There are also ongoing 15% cash match promotions for using alternative payment methods. Neither of the deals at Magic Box comes with any special promo codes.

Finally, don’t forget to check out Euro Kings. The platform has between 200 to 500 free spins distributed on an ongoing basis. There are also monthly match-time reloads up to 50%.

In terms of payouts, RTP, volatility, advertised maximum jackpots, as well as betting limits are strong factors. Depending on one’s specific bankroll preferences, these parameters may vary.

In terms of entertainment, all of the latest releases are impressive when it comes to themes, storylines, visuals, bonus features, layouts, and whatnot. So, it all boils down to personal preferences. Normally, classic slots will be about fruits, diamonds, and Lucky 7s on the reels and will be limited in features. Fans of video slots will be able to enjoy a diverse selection of themes, as well as many bonus features: free spins, multipliers, bonus rounds, InfiniReels, Megaways, etc.

There are lots of great studios to consider. Evolution Gaming is the ultimate leader of the market, with its portfolio of 100+ live games. The list includes variations of live blackjack, baccarat, and roulette for low and high rollers. There are also plenty of game shows and original releases. The company even has a live roulette in Finnish.

BetGames TV and TVBet deliver lotteries and betting games like War of Bets. Ezugi’s specialty is adaptations of games popular in Asia, to European lobbies. The list of titles includes Andar Bahar and Teen Patti. Companies like Atmosfera offer unique content, such as Battleship. And there are also content creators like Real Dealer Studios that offer a unique combination of pre-recorded games and RNG.

We recommend taking a closer look at the networks of certain owners. Among others, the network of Bayton Ltd is particularly popular among the Finnish gambling community. This company manages more than three great places to bet and win. All of them are Malta-compliant and offer 100s of great slots.

Another network high on the list of preferences among Finnish gamblers is the one owned by Co-Gaming Limited. Its popularity is caused by the fact that the network creates lobbies specifically for Finland and delivers all the locally convenient banking methods, games, and bonuses.