Veikkaus is using its Fennica Gaming arm to build international experience before Finland’s online casino market opens to private competition in July 2027.
Fennica Gaming Becomes Veikkaus’ Global Test Bed
Finland’s Veikkaus is looking beyond its home market as it prepares for one of the biggest changes in the company’s history.
Its B2B subsidiary, Fennica Gaming, is now active across 21 regulated markets in Europe, North America and Latin America, giving the state-owned operator a chance to test its games and technology outside Finland.
For Veikkaus, the overseas push is about more than simply adding another revenue stream. The company wants the experience of competing internationally to feed back into its Finnish operations once the country’s new licensing system goes live.
Jonas Reuter, Executive Vice-President of Veikkaus International, said the group wants to build partnerships abroad and develop a more international approach to both products and operations.
Fennica Gaming already has a presence in markets including Ontario and Alberta in Canada, Italy and Brazil. Its approach involves adapting games for individual regulated markets rather than assuming one product will work everywhere.
Finland’s Monopoly Era Is Running Out
That international experience is becoming more relevant by the month.
Finland’s reworked gambling framework will allow licensed private operators to offer online casino games and betting from 1 July 2027, ending Veikkaus’ monopoly over those verticals. Veikkaus will continue to hold exclusive rights in areas including lotteries and certain land-based products.
Interest from operators has already been healthy. Around 50 companies had submitted license applications by June 2026, according to Finland’s National Police Board.
That means Veikkaus will soon face something it has never had to deal with at home on this scale: dozens of commercial rivals fighting for the same Finnish online casino and sportsbook customers.
For ordinary players, that should mean a much wider choice of licensed brands and products. For Veikkaus, it means its familiar home-field advantage will no longer be enough on its own.
Overseas Partnerships Offer a Practice Run
Veikkaus sees Fennica Gaming as one way to prepare for that tougher environment.
By supplying games and systems to international partners, the group can learn how different regulated markets operate, how local partners work and how its products perform against established international suppliers.
Reuter said those relationships can also give Veikkaus a wider network to draw on when it encounters challenges, whether overseas or back in Finland.
The company has broader ambitions too. Veikkaus has previously said it wants to develop into an internationally successful gambling group by 2030, with Fennica providing the clearest route outside Finland for now.
A wider international B2C expansion could eventually follow, although Veikkaus’ immediate priorities remain preparing for competition in Finland and expanding its B2B business abroad.
The Real Test Comes in 2027
Veikkaus enters the new Finnish market with one obvious advantage: almost every local player already knows the name.
The harder job will be turning that familiarity into loyalty once international casino and betting brands can compete for the same customers.
Its overseas work gives the company a useful laboratory before that happens. Fennica can test games, build partnerships and expose Veikkaus to competitive markets without waiting for Finland’s regulatory switch.
Come July 2027, Finnish players will have considerably more choice. Veikkaus is betting that a few years spent learning outside its own backyard will help keep it near the front of the pack when that choice finally arrives.
