Finland confirms 12 gambling licenses issued
Finland has officially confirmed that 12 companies have secured gambling licences ahead of the country’s regulated online betting and casino market opening on July 1, 2027.
The National Police Board revealed the figures on October 26, confirming that 79 applications had been received, with 12 licences approved and none rejected.
The announcement provides the first official confirmation of the number of successful applicants as Finland prepares to end the state monopoly over online casino gaming and sports betting.
Among the successful applicants are Wildz Group, Hippos ATG, SkillOnNet and SuomiVeto, alongside several companies that have yet to announce their plans publicly.
The full list of approved companies comprises Hippos ATG Oy, Sunflower Gaming Limited, Granturo Finland Ltd (Wildz Group), Skill On Net Ltd, SuomiVeto Oy, Cloudberry Ent Limited, SixthSpin Limited, KuuFlip Limited, RocketLily Ent Limited, Nivei Ursi Limited, YTBlue Limited and Buccone Trading Limited.
The approvals are an important development for gambling operators seeking entry into one of Europe’s last major gambling markets to abandon its online monopoly model.
However, receiving a licence does not permit companies to begin accepting bets immediately.
Finland’s new Gambling Act will allow private operators to offer online casino games, sports betting and online bingo from July 1, 2027. Until then, state-owned Veikkaus retains exclusive rights to provide those services.
Veikkaus will continue to hold exclusive rights over lotteries, scratchcards, land-based gaming machines and physical casino operations after the new licensing framework takes effect.
Interestingly, Veikkaus itself was absent from the initial list of approved applicants, despite having applied for authorisation to compete in the liberalised online market.
The licensing process opened in March 2026, with applicants required to undergo suitability and financial assessments.
The National Police Board has indicated that application processing generally takes six to eight months, although individual applications may take longer.
An application fee of €29,000 applies regardless of whether a licence is ultimately granted.
With 67 applications still awaiting a decision, the number of operators authorised to enter Finland’s market is expected to increase before next July.
The new system represents a major change for Finnish players, who will gain access to competing domestically licensed online gambling operators for the first time.
