Draft Decrees Under the Gambling Act (2026)
Four draft decrees on stake limits, rules of play and venue numbers, out for comment until 5 August 2026
Last verified: 2026-09-28
The Ministry of the Interior sent four draft decrees under the Gambling Act for comments in June 2026, covering the exclusive licence holder's rules of play, competitive-market stake limits, winnings-claim periods, and venue and machine numbers. They are drafts, not adopted law.
Draft Decrees Under the Gambling Act (2026)
Overview
In June 2026 the Ministry of the Interior sent four draft decrees under the Gambling Act out for comments, with a deadline of 5 August 2026: a draft government decree on how the exclusive licence holder (Veikkaus) runs its gambling, and three draft Ministry of the Interior decrees covering the exclusive licence holder's rules of play, gambling run by competitive-market licence holders — including maximum permitted stakes on online casino games and the features of online slot machine games — and when the period for claiming winnings starts. The draft government decree would also reduce the maximum number of gambling venues and of slot machines and casino games Veikkaus may operate.
As of the last check of the Ministry's project page on 28 September 2026, these remain drafts prepared during a project term extended to 28 February 2027; they are not yet adopted law. Trade press has reported that the drafts would set lower maximum stakes for players under 25 and that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and THL consider the proposed loss limits too high, but this record has not independently confirmed those details against the draft decree texts.
The four draft decrees and the comment deadline of 5 August 2026. [1]
Preparation continuing under the project term extended to 28 February 2027. [2]
Key facts
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Verified
The Ministry of the Interior's project term was extended to 28 February 2027 so that the government decrees and Ministry of the Interior decrees on the running of gambling games can be prepared.
Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior)
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Verified
In June 2026 the Ministry of the Interior sent four draft decrees under the Gambling Act for comments (deadline 5 August 2026): a draft government decree on the running of gambling by the exclusive licence holder and three draft Ministry of the Interior decrees on the exclusive licence holder's rules of play, on gambling by licence holders in the competitive market, and on when the period for claiming winnings starts.
Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior)
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Verified
The draft decree on gambling in the competitive market includes provisions on the maximum permitted stakes for online casino games and on the features of online slot machine games; the draft government decree would reduce the maximum number of gambling venues and of slot machines and casino games in venues and casinos of the exclusive licence holder.
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Verified
The draft decrees are drafts and not adopted law: the Ministry's project page, read on 28 September 2026, lists the June 2026 press release as the latest item and says the decrees are being prepared during the project term extended to 28 February 2027.
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Unverified
Trade press reports that the draft decrees would set lower maximum stakes on casino and slot games for players under 25, and that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and THL consider the proposed loss limits too high; this was not confirmed against the draft decree texts.
Sources
- Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior)Primary source — Draft decrees under the Gambling Act sent out for comments (press release, 10 June 2026) — https://intermin.fi/en/-/draft-decrees-under-the-gambling-act-sent-out-for-comments
- Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior)Primary source — Reform of the gambling system (project page) — https://intermin.fi/en/projects/reform-of-the-gambling