Finnish MP Sinuhe Wallinheimo Warns New Gambling Regulator Remains Unready for July 2027 Market Opening

Finnish Member of Parliament Sinuhe Wallinheimo has voiced serious doubts about the new gambling regulator's state of preparedness, even as the liberalised market launch approaches. Speaking to iGaming Business on the sidelines of SiGMA Rome, the National Coalition Party lawmaker—one of the original drivers of the reform—warned that the authority is still being established despite the market opening on 1 July 2027.

"We don’t have the authority set up yet," Wallinheimo said. "Market launch is in less than a year’s time. If you are only starting it now, what will be the end result? I don’t know."

Regulator Setup and Transition Risks

Responsibility for regulating all gambling, including the newly opened online sector, will shift from the National Police Board to a new unit inside the Finnish Supervisory Agency on the launch date. That unit is currently in formation, with hiring still underway, and it will also assume licence application processing. B2C licences will stay open; the B2B supplier licensing window opens on 1 July 2027.

The launch itself was already delayed from an earlier target, reportedly because of staffing shortfalls at the supervisory agency. Wallinheimo is not the only voice sounding the alarm. Finnish compliance lawyer Antti Koivula made similar points in a recent op-ed for iGaming Express, arguing that even with thorough preparation the brand-new regulator may lack capacity for the scale of the task.

Wallinheimo asked what model the eventual authority will follow: "Will it be one like in Sweden that is very strict and doesn’t talk with the operators, and just gives fines and there is no discussion between them? Or will it be like in Denmark where the operators and the supervisor are talking all the time, cooperating all the time so everyone knows the playing field?"

Drivers of Liberalisation and Political Support

Wallinheimo reiterated why the shift is necessary. "We lost control," he admitted. "Around €600-900 million [in gambling revenues] were lost overseas, so we need a new kind of reform in order to bring operators to Finland." The current channelisation rate sits at around 50%; authorities hope to reach 90% once private operators enter the online market.

The reform enjoys broad political consensus, a contrast to tightening trends elsewhere in Europe. Even monopoly operator Veikkaus supports liberalising the online segment, though it retains exclusivity over land-based gaming, scratchcards and the lottery. Wallinheimo traced the rapid mindset change to the evident failure of the old structure, noting that only five or six years ago most assumed Veikkaus’s monopoly would last indefinitely.

Liberalisation is now locked in. The decisive variable is whether the regulator will be operational and effective on time.