Finland Steps Up Fines on Illegal Gambling Marketing, From Websites to Livestreams

Finland's market opens to licensed operators in July 2027. Until then, advertising any gambling other than Veikkaus's to people in mainland Finland is against the law, and the National Police Board is making that point more often.

The board said in mid-October that it has issued four prohibition decisions and six conditional fines for illegal gambling marketing so far in 2026, more than in previous years, though it did not publish earlier totals for comparison. The cases cover marketing on websites and social media, which the board says often runs alongside gaming and gambling livestreams.

Finland unlicensed gambling fines: how they work

A conditional fine in Finland is a lever, not a punishment in itself. It is attached to a prohibition order and only becomes payable if the target keeps marketing after being told to stop.

"The purpose of the conditional fine is not to punish illegal activities," said Juhani Wallinvirta, who heads the Gambling Administration group at the board. The aim, he said, is to make sure "illegal marketing actually ceases."

The amounts are not small. According to the board's figures as reported by NEXT.io and Net Influencer, conditional fines set against companies have ranged from €100,000 to €1.2 million, and those set against individuals from €30,000 to €200,000. The six fines actually ordered to be paid this year were all against individuals, between €20,000 and €100,000.

The biggest case, on hold

The €1.2 million figure belongs to MagicPoro, an Estonian-licensed operator that received both a marketing ban and the conditional fine. A Finnish court reportedly froze both on 9 October. The grounds have not been made public.

Why now

The timing is not accidental. Finland received 75 licence applications by late September, and the first operator has already announced its approval. The board's message to offshore brands, streamers and affiliates is that the grey-market playbook will not carry over: under the Lotteries Act, promoting an operator licensed elsewhere is still illegal marketing in Finland, and the new Gambling Act will bring its own marketing rules when the licensed market opens.