Finland’s Government has proposed amendments to the Lottery and Gambling Act that would allow scratch cards to be given as gifts, reversing restrictions introduced in 2024. The proposal has been submitted to Parliament for consideration.
Scratch cards became subject to mandatory identification at the beginning of 2024. Since then, only the person who purchased a ticket has been able to claim its prize, effectively preventing scratch cards from being given as gifts. Lottery sales fell by around 40% in 2024.
Under the proposed amendments, scratch card prizes could be claimed by an adult other than the original purchaser.
However, the buyer would still need to be a registered player with Finnish gambling operator Veikkaus Oy and identify themselves when purchasing the ticket.
The recipient would not need to hold a Veikkaus account but would have to meet the legal age requirement to claim any winnings.
Giving scratch cards as Christmas gifts is a popular tradition in Finland. Veikkaus noted in 2024 that it had received numerous enquiries from customers expressing disappointment that the tickets could no longer be given as gifts.
The Government began considering reversing the restrictions in 2025. In January 2026, the Ministry of the Interior launched a preliminary study to examine whether scratch cards could once again be given as gifts. This was followed by a legislative project to amend the existing legislation, resulting in the proposals now before Parliament.
The move comes as Finland continues to prepare for wider market reform, with the new Gambling Act scheduled to take effect in July 2027. On this topic, Global Gaming Insider spoke with Lawyer Joonas Karhu about what operators can expect from Finland’s new iGaming regime.
Finland will establish a dedicated regulator to take over gambling licensing and supervision from the National Police Board ahead of 1 July 2027 market liberalisation
