Finland Grants 18 Gambling Licences With 63 Applications Pending

Finland.- 30 October 2026 | www.zonadeazar.com Finland is progressing towards the opening of its regulated online betting and casino market, having granted its first 18 gambling licences, while a further 63 applications remain under review.

The Finnish National Police Board (NPB) published the updated list of authorised companies on 29 October 2026 under the country’s new Gambling Act.

The regulator has received 81 applications in total, eight months before licensed competition is scheduled to begin on 1 July 2027.

The initial licences will be valid for five years, until 30 June 2032.

Eighteen Companies Receive Authorisation

The Finnish regulator has confirmed the following businesses as the first licence holders:

• Cloudberry Ent Limited.
• KuuFlip Limited.
• Nivei Ursi Limited.
• RocketLily Ent Limited.
• SixthSpin Limited.
• YTBlue Limited.
• Granturo Finland Ltd.
• Hippos ATG Oy.
• Skill On Net Ltd.
• Sunflower Gaming Limited.
• SuomiVeto Oy.
• Roi Roger Limited.
• UnionJack Limited.
• Buccone Trading Limited.
• Benelongs Ltd.
• Stare Straight Ltd.
• Pot Luck Club Ltd.
• Amber Entertainment Finland Ltd.

The authorisations are valid from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2032, unless otherwise specified.

The official list identifies the legal entities holding the licences rather than necessarily disclosing their parent companies.

Six Additional Licences Granted in Three Days

The licensing process accelerated during the final week of October.

On 26 October, the NPB had confirmed 12 approvals from 79 applications.

Three days later, the number had increased to 18 approved licences and 81 applications.

The six newly authorised companies were:

• Roi Roger Limited.
• UnionJack Limited.
• Benelongs Ltd.
• Stare Straight Ltd.
• Pot Luck Club Ltd.
• Amber Entertainment Finland Ltd.

The development demonstrates progress in the administrative assessment process ahead of the market opening.

SkillOnNet, Hippos ATG and SuomiVeto Among Licence Holders

Operators that have publicly confirmed their approvals include SkillOnNet, Hippos ATG and SuomiVeto.

Hippos ATG is a joint venture between Swedish betting operator ATG and Finnish trotting association Suomen Hippos. Its approval was announced on 19 October.

SuomiVeto is a new operator established by Melvin Bostelaar and Joey Singels, the founders of BetCity.nl.

Wildz Group also confirmed its authorisation on 15 October, while ComeOn Group’s parent company, European Entertainment Group, announced that it had secured all the licences it applied for.

These approvals anticipate the arrival of new competitors in Finland’s gambling market.

Applications Increase Throughout 2026

Since the licensing process opened on 1 March 2026, the regulator has recorded sustained interest from gambling companies.

Application figures have developed as follows:

• 1 March: applications open.
• 8 June: 50 applications received.
• 22 September: 75 applications.
• 26 October: 79 applications and 12 approved licences.
• 29 October: 81 applications and 18 approved licences.

Currently, 63 applications remain under review.

The NPB has clarified that the number of applications does not necessarily represent the number of corporate groups interested, as some operators have applied through multiple legal entities.

Application Reviews Take Six to Eight Months

One of the principal challenges for Finnish authorities is the time required to complete licensing assessments.

Initially, the regulator expected each application to take between three and six months.

However, the current estimate has increased to six to eight months.

The NPB explained that documentation submitted by international operators has contributed to longer processing times.

Applications are assessed in the order in which they are received.

Foreign Operators Face Additional Documentation Requirements

Juho Puisto, Senior Adviser at the NPB’s Gambling Administration, explained that most applicants are companies based outside Finland.

According to Puisto, foreign operators must provide official documentation that the regulator can often obtain directly from national registers when assessing Finnish companies.

International applications may contain hundreds of pages and documents issued under different administrative systems.

The regulator also frequently needs to request clarification or additional information.

Puisto noted that these additional requests inevitably affect processing times.

Each Application Costs €29,000

The licensing procedure involves an administrative fee of €29,000 per application in 2026.

The fee covers the assessment of each application submitted to the regulator.

As some corporate groups have applied through different legal entities, their total costs may vary depending on the number of applications submitted.

The regulatory framework does not impose a statutory cap on the number of licensed operators.

There is also no general application deadline.

Consequently, the regulator expects to continue receiving applications and issuing further authorisations.

Licences Do Not Permit Immediate Operations

Although the first companies have received their licences, none may begin offering or marketing gambling services before 1 July 2027.

Operators must also fulfil additional requirements before launching.

These include:

• Completing the required audits.
• Connecting to the NPB’s supervisory system.
• Meeting applicable regulatory obligations.
• Preparing operations to comply with the new market framework.

These conditions are intended to ensure that authorised operators are ready before licensed competition begins.

Veikkaus Retains Exclusivity Until June 2027

The reform represents a major change for Veikkaus, Finland’s state-owned gambling operator, which currently retains exclusive rights over online betting and casino gaming.

Its monopoly will remain in place until 30 June 2027.

From the following day, licensed operators will be able to compete in the segments covered by the reform.

The regulator confirmed that none of the first 18 licences has been awarded to a Veikkaus company.

The transition will reshape Finland’s competitive gambling landscape by allowing domestic and international operators to enter the market.

New Supervisory Authority to Take Over

The National Police Board will remain responsible for licensing until the end of June 2027.

After that, licensing and supervision will transfer to the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

The institutional change will coincide with the opening of the regulated market.

The new authority will oversee compliance with the conditions established for licensed gambling operators.

Meanwhile, the NPB will continue reviewing the 63 outstanding applications and any additional submissions.

Industry Impact and Next Steps

The approval of the first 18 licences represents a significant milestone in Finland’s gambling market reform.

The number of applications demonstrates the international industry’s interest in entering the market before its opening.

However, longer assessment times present administrative challenges for both the regulator and companies still awaiting decisions.

With 81 applications, 18 licences granted and 63 pending decisions, Finland continues preparing for the opening of its regulated online betting and casino market on 1 July 2027.

Further approvals are expected over the coming months, while the first licence holders complete the audits and technical procedures required to launch.

Edited by: @fonta