Finland Reveals Initial Licensees Ahead of Gambling Market Opening

Key Moments

• March 1, 2026: Application process commenced.
• June 8, 2026: Report of 50 applications received by the NPB.
• September 22, 2026: NPB confirms 75 applications, with none yet approved.
• October 26, 2026: First 12 licenses granted from 79 applications.
• October 29, 2026: 18 licenses granted; 63 pending; 81 total applications.

Overview of the Licensing Process

Finland’s National Police Board (NPB) has granted the first 18 gambling licenses under the new Gambling Act, as announced on October 29, 2026. This announcement comes ahead of the Finnish market opening to licensed competition on July 1, 2027. The licenses are valid until June 30, 2032, unless specific circumstances dictate otherwise.

The NPB emphasized that each application requires six to eight months to process. This timeframe, an increase from earlier expectations of three to six months, is attributed largely to the high percentage of foreign applicants. Finnish companies benefit from local background checking, while foreign applicants must provide their own extensive documentation, increasing the board’s workload.

List of Licensed Companies

The list released by the NPB provides the names and license numbers of the licensed operators, but does not include parent company details. Several operators, such as Wildz Group, Hippos ATG, SkillOnNet, and SuomiVeto, have publicly announced their approvals. ComeOn Group’s owner, European Entertainment Group, stated on October 22 that it had received all licenses it applied for, without disclosing the specific companies.

On October 26, 2026, 12 licenses were confirmed from 79 applications, with no rejections at that time. Since then, six more companies were approved, bringing the current total to 18 authorized operators.

Application Volume and Processing Challenges

Since applications opened on March 1, 2026, the number has steadily increased, reaching 81 by October 29, 2026. The NPB noted that some corporate groups have submitted multiple applications, and each application required a processing fee of €29,000 in 2026.

According to Juho Puisto, senior adviser at the NPB’s Gambling Administration:

‘Most of the applicants are foreign companies. In these cases, it is the applicant’s responsibility to supply the required official reports and other attachments to the National Police Board.’

He further explained:

‘Having to ask for further information naturally has an impact on processing times.’

The documentation requirements are substantial, with a single application sometimes consisting of hundreds of pages. The variability in official documents from different jurisdictions often necessitates additional clarification from applicants.

Next Steps for Licensees and the Market

Obtaining a license does not immediately permit operators to commence activity. License holders may begin offering and promoting gambling services in Finland on July 1, 2027, contingent upon completing required audits and integrating with the NPB’s supervision system.

There is currently no deadline for submitting applications and no statutory restriction on the total number of licensees. The NPB will remain the issuing authority until the end of June 2027, after which licensing and supervisory responsibilities will shift to the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

Notably, none of the 18 current licensees are affiliated with Veikkaus, the state-owned operator, which retains exclusive rights to online betting and casino games until June 30, 2027.

• Author

Daniel Williams

Daniel Williams has started his writing career as a freelance author at a local paper media. After working there for a couple of years and writing on various topics, he found his interest for the gambling industry.

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