Survey Reveals One-Third of Finns Back Payment Blocks to Curb Illegal Gambling

(AsiaGameHub) –   A poll of 1,000 residents in Finland indicates that preventing payments to unlicensed gambling websites is broadly seen as the most effective individual measure to tackle illegal gambling.

The study, which was carried out by Bilendi in April 2026 on behalf of the affiliate site Turtlebet, gathered opinions from a nationally representative group of Finns aged 18 to 65 concerning the upcoming reform of the nation’s gambling framework.

Those surveyed were questioned about tactics to counter unlicensed operators and if gambling offers from abroad are luring players from the licensed domestic provider, Veikkaus.

Finland is gearing up for a full transformation of its gambling sector. The nation is transitioning from its long-established monopoly model run by Veikkaus to a licensing system that will permit private operators to enter parts of the market.

As part of the reforms, companies can start applying for licenses from 2026, leading up to the official launch of the regulated market on 1 July 2027. The survey also revealed varying levels of public knowledge about these changes.

Key findings

The nationwide survey, with a respondent pool balanced by gender, age, and region, discovered that 67% of participants knew that changes to gambling laws are approaching. Awareness was significantly greater among men (80%) than women (54%) and grew with age, reaching 71% for those aged 50-65. This compares to 63% of younger adults aged 18-34.

Concerning why people might use unlicensed foreign gambling sites, just 30% of respondents agreed that more appealing bonuses and promotions play a role. This contrasted with 41% who disagreed and 29% who were unsure.

Men (43%) were more prone to see bonuses as a significant factor than women (18%). Younger participants (18-34 years) expressed slightly stronger agreement (35%) than older demographics.

When considering the most effective ways to deter the use of illegal gambling sites, blocking payments to these operators received the most support (32%). Improving the attractiveness of licensed domestic options was the next most favoured approach (26%).

Technical solutions like internet protocol (IP) blocking garnered less backing (11%), while close to one-third (29%) of respondents were unsure of the optimal method.

Views on publicly blacklisting illegal gambling sites were divided. A plurality (43%) felt a public blacklist would not stop people from using the sites, while 24% believed it would be effective, and the rest were undecided.

Demographic variations

Men demonstrated greater awareness of the reform and were more likely to point to bonuses on foreign sites as a reason for player choice. Women generally dismissed bonuses as a key motivator.

Younger respondents showed the highest level of uncertainty on multiple questions and were slightly more hopeful about the possible impact of blacklisting illegal sites (29% in favour among 18-34 year olds, versus 23% overall).

Participants from the greater Helsinki region made up approximately 30% of respondents, constituting a larger proportion of higher-income earners. Those with higher incomes were more inclined to think foreign bonuses affect consumer behavior.

The illegal market across Europe

The push to liberalise Finland’s market has been partly motivated by worries that the monopoly system was failing to effectively steer Finnish consumers toward regulated options.

“The goal of the legislation has been to identify a regulatory balance where measures to combat gambling-related harms are weighed against the desire of gambling companies to obtain a license and the need to direct online gambling toward a regulated offering,” stated Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen during the bill’s initial parliamentary reading.