Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court has ruled in favour of professional bettor Antti Koivula after more than five years of legal disputes over his betting tax treatment.
The case centred on Koivula’s 2020 betting activity, during which he staked around €366,000 and won approximately €407,000, generating an actual profit of around €41,000.
Finnish tax authorities had assessed his bets individually, concluding that losing bets could not be counted as costs incurred in earning his betting income.
That interpretation meant Koivula’s modest €41,000 profit could have resulted in a tax bill of approximately €166,000, a figure he described as deeply unfair given his personal circumstances.
“I am not a millionaire, nor am I financially independent. I have three small children and support my family,” Koivula stated.
Koivula, who has been betting professionally for more than a decade, also serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Hippos ATG operator, bringing significant industry expertise to his legal challenge.
His argument was that betting should be treated as an income-producing activity, allowing him to deduct costs from income in the same way other professionals can offset business expenses.
After the court ruled in his favour, Koivula took to LinkedIn to celebrate, writing: “The tax bear is down!”, before explaining the wider significance of the decision for professional bettors across Finland.
“The case concerned my personal income taxation and determined the tax treatment of professional bettors in Finland — both now and going forward,” he wrote in the post.
Speaking to Finnish outlet Nettipokeri, Koivula noted that the court had considered the longevity of his decade-long betting career, its systematic nature, his expert understanding of betting markets, and the economic significance of the activity to his livelihood.
He clarified that the ruling did not set rigid thresholds for what constitutes income-generating betting activity, leaving some room for interpretation in future cases.
“The ruling states that I clearly fell within the scope of the criteria. It does not specify exactly where the line should be drawn,” he told Nettipokeri.
Koivula also highlighted that there were no defined working hours, stake sizes, or exact income limits required for an activity to qualify as income-generating for tax purposes under the ruling.
“An income-generating activity does not necessarily have to be one’s main source of income; the overall picture is what counts,” he added.
Looking ahead, Koivula suggested the ruling could carry significant practical importance for the professional betting community as Finland prepares to open its regulated gambling market in July 2027.
The decision sets a precedent that could reshape how tax authorities in Finland assess professional bettors, offering greater financial clarity to those who rely on wagering as a meaningful source of income.
