Finland is brewing a major surgery on the gambling market, but how much does the public know about this reform, and which side are their opinions leaning towards? Turtlebet commissioned Bilendi to conduct a survey in April 2026 covering 1000 Finnish residents aged 18 to 65, and the results revealed several interesting dividing lines: Payment blocking is considered the most effective single weapon against illegal gambling, but public awareness of the upcoming reforms is uneven. Finland is moving from the monopoly model dominated by Veikkaus to a multi-license system, accepting applications in 2026, and officially opening on July 1, 2027. On the eve of this transformation, the survey data is almost equivalent to an X-ray of public sentiment for the regulators. PASA's official website continues to focus on the dynamics of the Nordic regulatory market, and the path of Finland's transformation is worth a closer look.
Payment blocking is the preferred weapon, technical blocking is not very popular
When asked which measures can most effectively curb illegal gambling websites, 32% of respondents voted for payment blocking, ranking first among all options. This was closely followed by enhancing the attractiveness of licensed local products, which received 26% support. In contrast, technical measures like IP blocking were not as popular, with only 11% finding them effective, and nearly 30% of respondents could not decide which method was best. Regarding the effectiveness of public blacklists, public opinion is also quite divided—43% believe that listing illegal sites on a blacklist does not stop players, 24% think it is useful, and the rest are undecided.
As for why players go to unlicensed foreign sites, the survey's answers are somewhat counterintuitive. Only 30% agree that more attractive bonuses and promotions on foreign platforms are the main reason, 41% clearly disagree, and 29% are unsure. Men are much more sensitive to this point than women, with 43% of men feeling that bonuses indeed attract players, compared to only 18% of women. Young people are slightly more susceptible to this, with a 35% approval rate among the 18 to 34 age group, but still not a majority.
The cognitive gap widened by gender and age
Overall, 67% of Finns are aware that gambling regulations are about to change, but breaking it down, there is a significant information gap between men and women—men's awareness rate surged to 80%, while women's was only 54%. The age gradient is also clear, with the 50 to 65 age group reaching 71%, while the younger 18 to 34 age group is the most unclear, at only 63%. Young people have a stronger sense of uncertainty on several issues, but they are slightly more optimistic about the blacklist, with 29% of 18 to 34-year-olds thinking it will be useful, higher than the overall 23% level.
High-income groups also have their own characteristics. The Helsinki region accounts for about 30% of the sample, and high-income respondents are more inclined to believe that foreign bonuses will affect consumer behavior. The subtext of this data is that even if Finland's licensed system is well established, just having a legal status is not enough; the competitiveness of the product itself is what can pull players back.
Interior Minister of Finland, Mari Lantinen, was very straightforward when the bill first passed the parliament, stating that the goal of the legislation is to find a balance between combating gambling harms and encouraging gambling companies to apply for licenses, leading online gambling towards regulated channels. However, from the survey results, this balancing act has not yet been fully communicated to the public. The high support rate for payment blocking at least gives regulators a clear focus—rather than casting a wide net, it's better to start by securing the money bag.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
