Finland’s National Police Board has started granting licences for the new, competitive online gambling market. This news item covers how many licences have been granted, when operators can start and what a company needs to do to enter.
Checked 28 October 2026.
What happened
According to figures the National Police Board gave to iGaming Business on 26 October 2026, 12 licences have been granted from 79 applications, and none has been rejected so far. The licences went to Hippos ATG, Sunflower Gaming, Granturo Finland (Wildz Group), Skill On Net, SuomiVeto, Cloudberry Ent, SixthSpin, KuuFlip, RocketLily Ent, Nivei Ursi, YTBlue and Buccone Trading. The state operator Veikkaus applied but was not on the list. The processing is still ongoing, so the number can grow.
When operators can start
The police state that providing and marketing gambling services may begin no earlier than 1 July 2027. A granted licence is not enough on its own. The operator also has to complete the audits and the integration project that connects it to the supervision system, and the exact start date is set in the licence decision.
Licence types and cost
The Gambling Act has a gambling licence, an exclusive licence and a software licence. In 2026 the gambling and exclusive licences can be applied for, and software licence applications open in July 2027. The application fee for a gambling or exclusive licence is EUR 29,000 in 2026 and is charged whatever the outcome. The police target a processing time of 3 to 6 months, which can be longer, and warn that errors in an application cause delays.
What to do
An operator planning the Finnish market should prepare the application, the audit plan and the integration with the supervision system in parallel, since the start depends on all three. Suppliers and affiliates can already map which of their operator clients are licensed. For the wider choice of licence for a new project, see our article on online casino licences.
See also: Online casino licence: Curaçao, Malta, Estonia, Anjouan or Tobique; Brazil: Betting Licences End on 25 October. Services: iGaming lawyers.
