Veikkaus could lose licences and halt Lotto from 1 July 2027, officials warn

Veikkaus may be left without the licences it has applied for, which could interrupt Lotto and other traditional games from 1 July 2027 if no valid exclusive licence is in place. The company’s applications were filed under two subsidiaries and a November 2024 Poliisihallitus marketing ban with a €2.9 million penalty is central to how those applications will be assessed.

Which licences has Veikkaus applied for and under what names

Veikkaus submitted applications for gaming licences under two separate corporate applicants. According to media reporting cited by Hufvudstadsbladet, Veikkaus Onnenpelit Oy has applied for two exclusive licences for draw-based and other lottery-type games, while Veikkaus Vedonlyönti ja Nettikasino Oy has applied for a general gambling operator licence covering online casino and betting activity. The new gambling law distinguishes between two exclusive licences and separate operator licences: one exclusive licence covers money-draw games such as Lotto and scratchcards, the other covers gaming machines and physical casino games. A separate operator licence is required for online casino and betting.

The Poliisihallitus marketing ban and its timing

Poliisihallitus imposed a marketing ban on Veikkaus in November 2024, prohibiting marketing of gambling alongside television broadcasts aimed at or attractive to minors, and attached a €2.9 million conditional fine. The authority concluded Veikkaus had advertised during children’s programming breaks more than 200 times in 2023 and the spring of 2024, and noted prior warnings in May 2024 before the ban decision. Veikkaus has described the adverts as a human error and argued Poliisihallitus may have stretched its interpretation of which broadcasts were covered.

The statutory reliability and suitability checks under the new gambling law apply to both exclusive licences and operator licences. A key practical question is when Poliisihallitus carries out the reliability and suitability assessment for each application. Poliisihallitus processes licence applications in order of receipt and says equal treatment must be observed.

"The timing of the application processing is not intended to influence whether Veikkaus receives a licence or not; applications are processed in accordance with the principle of equal treatment," Poliisihallitus senior inspector Juha Puisto told Hufvudstadsbladet.

HBL reported that Veikkaus’ application arrived relatively late in the queue. For Veikkaus the consequential date could be 12 November 2026, two years after the marketing ban decision, because an adverse decision younger than two years may still bar a finding of reliability and suitability if the assessment is made before that two-year mark.

Legal mechanics and possible workarounds

Lawyers and industry specialists emphasise the two-year window in the assessment of reliability and suitability. Specialist gaming lawyer Joonas Karhu notes the law prevents finding an applicant reliable and suitable if it has been subject to a statutory prohibition or sanction under the lotteries act for unlawful gambling or unlawful marketing — unless the assessment is carried out after the two-year period has elapsed.

"The ban decision may therefore prevent licence granting if the reliability and suitability assessment is made before two years have passed from the ban decision," Karhu told Rahapelisanomat. He added that the two-year period is linked to when the assessment is made, not to when the application was filed, and the law does not specify at which stage of processing the assessment must occur.

Poliisihallitus has said applicants are treated equally; if Veikkaus’ application is handled after the two-year expiry the prior ban will not automatically bar licence grant. Veikkaus could also submit a fresh application no earlier than 13 November 2026 if an initial application is rejected before that date; a later application’s reliability check would not, in principle, be affected by the 2024 decision.

Practical and reputational stakes

About 80 companies have applied for operator licences. Several international operators have already announced positive licence outcomes: Wildz Group on 15 October 2026 and Hippos ATG on 19 October 2026, based on their own announcements; Poliisihallitus had not published those decisions at the time. If Veikkaus were to be refused all licences it sought, its present gaming operations could be interrupted from 1 July 2027. Denial of a single licence would, under normal legal mechanics, jeopardise only the activity covered by that licence.

Industry commentator and Rahapelisanomat expert Wille Wilenius warned the interruption would be a significant reputational blow to Veikkaus and could momentarily paralyse Lotto, Keno, betting and casino operations. He emphasised authorities must act precisely by the rules to preserve credibility.

What comes next

Poliisihallitus will continue to process applications in arrival order and apply the statutory reliability and suitability tests. The scheduling of Veikkaus’ application handling — whether before or after 12 November 2026 — is likely to determine whether the November 2024 marketing ban remains a disqualifying factor for licence decisions made ahead of the 1 July 2027 market change date.

Eleanor Whitfield, Regulatory Affairs Correspondent