How Popular is Sports Betting in Finland?

Finland is a relatively small country, especially compared to its larger neighbour Sweden, with a population of 'only' 5.5 million.

17:49 18 August 2021

Despite its considerably small population, Finland has a massive betting industry. The betting market in Finland differs significantly from Scandinavian countries because the government has a monopoly over all forms of gambling within the country. In this article, we’ll talk about the different sports betting sites available for Finns, including the government-owned betting agency Veikkaus.fi and all the offshore betting sites that Finns can play on.

 

How Does Sports Betting Work in Finland?

 

Sports betting is particularly popular in Finland and one of the reasons for this is simply that the Finns are very passionate about sports. It’s good to note that betting is legal in Finland but it is controlled by the government-owned agency Veikkaus rather than by a gambling licence. Because there is no Finnish gambling licence, offshore betting sites are allowed to accept Finnish players but cannot advertise in the country.

 

Most Finnish players choose offshore sports betting sites simply because they offer a much better experience. Veikkaus does not offer any welcome bonus or deposit bonuses to its Finnish players, making it a much less popular choice for Finns. Other sports betting sites such as Mr Green Sport, Betiton, and 888 Sports are much more popular among Finnish bettors because they offer better odds, a much vaster choice of different sports to bet on, and bonuses they can benefit from as well.

 

The Most Popular Betting Sites for Finns

 

Despite Veikkaus.fi being specifically dedicated to Finnish bettors, it’s not a very popular site for Finns. Instead, Finns typically put their money on foreign online sites which offers a better experience than the state-owned Veikkaus. Unibet and Mr Green are two of the most popular betting sites for Finns, offering up-to-date odds and good odds.

 

Unlike Veikkaus, which generally only offers the option to bet on the outcome of a match, Finns have a wider variety of bets on offshore online bookies. The options are practically endless with the possibility to bet on the number of goals, the goal scorers, who will receive a yellow card, and so much more.

 

Finnish players looking to find the best sports betting sites for them can easily find the best options for them by following this list of the most popular betting sites for Finns. Here, players can also find detailed reviews of the best gambling sites for Finns, with an overview of the bonuses and betting selections they can expect to find if they sign up with any of the recommended sites.

 

What Do Finns Like to Bet On?

 

Ice Hockey

 

As mentioned above, many forms of sports are very popular in Finland and so is sports betting. Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports played in Finland and it’s also one of the most popular sports to bet on for Finns. With one of the strongest ice hockey teams in the world and several World Championship wins, it’s easy to see why Finns love betting on ice hockey.

 

Football

 

Football is another major betting event for Finns and this year, the Euro 2020 tournament was particularly eventful and interesting for Finns. Playing against Denmark in the group stages, the major bookies and the government’s betting agency Veikkaus predicted that Finland will lose against Denmark yet Finland won the match 1-0.

 

Based on Denmark’s history with Finland and the fact that Denmark was playing at home in Copenhagen, the odds were in their favour. Out of 22 friendly matches between Denmark and Finland, the Finns were beaten 21 out of 22 times. During the match in the Euro 2020, midfielder Christian Eriksen also suffered a major injury, giving the Danes a considerable disadvantage. Finland unexpectedly won the match and Veikkaus made a huge loss following Finland’s surprising victory.

 

Upcoming Major Sports Events

 

The next major sports betting event that many Finns will certainly be placing their bets on is the 2022 World Cup. The World Cup is the most popular betting event anywhere in the world, not only in Finland. Once the tournament kicks off, Finns and bettors from all around the world will head to sports betting sites to place their bets on the team with the best odds of winning and whether their country will qualify for the tournament.

 

The most common bet is the outright winner of the competition, but many bettors also place other bets, such as the outcomes of individual matches or the outcome of the group stage. Finnish players have a wide variety of sports betting sites to choose from, offering even more betting options such as the highest-scoring team, the teams that will make it to the final, and the top scorer.