Self-Exclusion and Account Limits
The blind spot
A Veikkaus account can carry a self-imposed block, and it is a good tool — but it covers Veikkaus products only. On an international platform it does nothing: the block is not transferred to another operator, and Finland has no central register covering every online casino at once. Under the current plan that changes with the licensing system due in 2027, when supervision moves from the National Police Board to a new licensing and supervision agency. For now, a block has to be requested from the operator whose account you hold.
The conclusion is uncomfortable but simple. If the aim is to stop entirely, an account-level block is not enough on its own. A device-level layer is needed as well.
Three grades, three different purposes
- Time-out. Short, typically a day to a few weeks. The account is locked for the agreed period and cannot be reopened early. This is the right tool when one session got away from you but the pattern is not entrenched.
- Fixed-term self-exclusion. Months to years. The account is closed, marketing stops, and reopening after the period requires a separate request rather than happening automatically.
- Permanent closure. The account is closed for good. It is not designed to be reversed, and it is the one grade you should not negotiate with yourself about afterwards.
How to request it
The setting normally sits in the account menu under responsible gambling. If the option is missing, or if you want a longer period than the menu offers, the request goes to support by chat or email. Write it unambiguously: which account, which period, and that this is a self-exclusion rather than a temporary lock. Save the confirmation message — it is the only proof of when the block started.
Do not bundle the request with anything else. A bonus query or a payout question in the same thread slows the handling and invites a misreading. Channels and response behaviour are described on the support page.
What happens to the money
A remaining balance is normally paid out when the block is applied. The payout travels the same rail as the deposit did, so it is worth confirming that verification is already complete before requesting the block — otherwise the money waits on document handling in a closed account. Active bonuses and any wagering in progress lapse on closure. Payout timings by rail are listed on the withdrawal page.
Why a block sometimes fails to hold
Two gaps account for most failures. The first is a new account with a different brand: the block applies to the account and operator it was requested from. The second is marketing that continues from an old mailing list when the subscription was never separately cancelled. Both close the same way, and it is the way that does not depend on any operator: device-level blocking software such as Gamban or Betblocker, which stops access to gambling sites at the browser level regardless of who holds an account where.
Limits as the lighter option
Self-exclusion is not the only tool and often not the right first step. A deposit limit governs money entering the account, a loss limit governs realised losses, and a session reminder governs time. Lowering a limit applies immediately, while raising one goes through a cooling-off period and a separate confirmation. Their use is described on the responsible gambling page.
Help in Finland
Peluuri is the national service, free and confidential for players and for family members, and its services include the Peli poikki programme and Tukinet. Contact does not require the situation to have reached a crisis, and nothing has to be committed to afterwards. In practice the best order is this: block first, help immediately after — not the other way round, because the decision is easiest to make once it has already been made.
Checklist
- Request the block from the operator whose account you hold — a Veikkaus block does not transfer.
- Send it as its own message and keep the confirmation.
- Finish verification before the block so the balance can leave the account.
- Add device-level blocking on top of the account-level block.
- Contact Peluuri straight after the block rather than instead of it.