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A review of 50 online casinos targeting Finnish players found that advertised wagering requirements often did not reflect the full amount of money players needed to stake before bonus conditions were completed.
The study, carried out by casino comparison site Kasinohai through real-money testing in June 2026, examined how welcome bonuses worked at the moment players claimed them. Researchers created accounts, deposited funds, accepted bonuses and calculated the actual wagering burden created by each offer.
The findings arrive just months before Finland begins replacing its long-standing gambling monopoly with a licensing model. From July 2027, licensed operators will no longer be allowed to use bonuses aimed at attracting new customers, making the current bonus market a snapshot of a system that is about to change significantly.
Bonus requirements often looked lower than the real cost
The biggest differences appeared in how casinos calculated wagering requirements.
In 22 of the 50 tested casinos, the requirement applied to both the player’s deposit and the bonus amount. A promotion advertising a 30x wagering requirement could therefore require €6,000 in bets on a €100 deposit with a €100 bonus, rather than €3,000 if only the bonus was counted.
Another 15 casinos did not clearly explain whether the deposit was included in the calculation at the point where players claimed the offer.
Multi-step promotions created another layer of complexity. Some welcome packages were divided into several deposits, with each stage carrying its own requirement. Although individual stages could appear reasonable, completing the full package could effectively push the wagering requirement to around 40x.
Across the sample, the advertised requirements varied widely. Twelve casinos offered requirements of 15x or less, while 19 set them between 20x and 35x. Another 19 required 40x or more.
Kasinohai’s researchers described some offers as relatively favourable to players, but found that only a smaller share calculated requirements solely against the bonus itself.
Missing details created uncertainty for players
The research also examined restrictions attached to bonus play.
Almost half of the casinos reviewed did not display a maximum bet limit in their bonus terms when the promotion was claimed. Where limits existed, a common restriction was around €5 per spin.
Such rules can have a major impact. A player who exceeds a maximum stake limit may lose access to the bonus and any winnings connected to it.
Game restrictions were also common. Nearly three quarters of the casinos limited which games contributed toward wagering requirements. At around one-third of those operators, live casino games provided no contribution at all.
Bonus winnings were capped at 58% of the tested casinos, with some limits falling below €100. A smaller group of operators placed no deadline on completing wagering requirements.
Research offers a snapshot before Finland changes direction
The study was conducted by Mimmi Malmström, Laura Korhonen and Lilli Partanen. The casinos were selected from operators featured on Kasinohai’s own platform, rather than through random sampling.
The reviewed sites held licences from jurisdictions including Curaçao, Malta, Anjouan and Estonia. Many are unlikely to seek approval under Finland’s future licensing system, meaning the results represent the current offshore-facing market rather than a prediction of how licensed operators will behave.
Kasinohai also stressed that the research focused only on welcome bonuses and did not identify individual operators.
Finland’s upcoming reform is expected to reshape how online gambling companies compete for customers. The country is moving away from Veikkaus’ monopoly model toward a regulated licensing system, while authorities are still working on detailed rules covering online gambling features and stake limits.
The Ministry of the Interior circulated draft regulations in June 2026, with public feedback open until August.
Industry observers have warned that removing bonuses and affiliate marketing opportunities could make customer acquisition more difficult for online casino businesses. The future approach may depend on how effectively the new licensing system attracts players to regulated operators.
For now, Kasinohai’s research provides a record of how bonus offers operated before that transition begins — and shows that the headline wagering number was not always the full story.
Source: www.gamblingnews.com
