TITLE: Finland's Ministry of The Interior Proposes Amendments to Lottery and Gaming Laws Regarding Scratch Lottery Gifting
BODY:
On June 18, 2026, Finland's Ministry of The Interior sent a draft government proposition to consultation proposing amendments to the Lottery Act (Lotterilaw) and the Gaming Act (Penningspelslagen) to permit scratch lottery tickets to be given as gifts. The consultation period runs until August 13, 2026.
Scratch lottery tickets became subject to mandatory player identification at the beginning of 2024, which prevented anyone other than the ticket purchaser from redeeming winnings. The proposed amendments would modify identification and prize redemption provisions to allow a person aged 18 or older, other than the original purchaser, to redeem winnings from a scratch lottery ticket. The ticket purchaser must be registered as a player with Veikkaus Ab (the current monopoly holder) or, following the new gaming system launch on July 1, 2027, with the holder of the exclusive licence. The person redeeming the prize need not be registered as a player; however, the ticket seller or licence holder must verify the redeemer has reached the age of majority. The Ministry of The Interior published a preliminary study on April 20, 2026, examining the feasibility of allowing non-purchasers to redeem scratch lottery winnings, which concluded that legislative amendments to both the Lottery Act and Gaming Act were necessary.
The government proposition is expected to be submitted to parliament during the autumn 2026 session. A temporary amendment to the Lottery Act is proposed to take effect as soon as possible and remain in force until July 1, 2027, when the permanent amendment to the Gaming Act takes effect coinciding with the new gaming system launch.
Interested parties should submit responses to the consultation by August 13, 2026.