Finland grants its first gambling licences, but holders must wait until July 2027

The first licences under the act that opens Finland's gambling market to competition have been issued. The Police Board's list showed 21 holders on 12 November 2026, none able to operate before July 2027.

Published 12 November 2026 Updated 12 November 2026 Finland Published by Node Solutions LTD

18 licences, then 21

Finland's National Police Board (Poliisihallitus) said on 29 October that it had granted the first licences under the new Gambling Act, 18 of them at that stage. By 12 November its published list had grown to 21 licence holders. The licences allow their holders to run, for instance, betting or online casino games. The Finnish site kasinotinfo.com covered the announcement first.

Licensed play starts in July 2027

Holders may organise and market gambling from 1 July 2027 at the earliest, and without a licence neither is allowed in Finland. The licences run for five years from that day unless the list states otherwise. Until the end of June 2027, gambling in mainland Finland stays under the Lotteries Act, which reserves it to Veikkaus Oy.

63 applications in the queue

On 29 October the Board still had 63 applications to process. Applications have been open since March 2026 and are handled in order of arrival, each currently taking an estimated six to eight months. A senior adviser at the Board's Gambling Administration said most applicants are foreign companies and that a single application can mean working through several hundred pages. Documents from different countries' authorities vary so widely in content and form that applicants are usually asked to supplement them.

The 2026 processing fee is 29,000 euros, for an exclusive-right licence and a gambling licence alike, and it is due whatever the decision.

A new supervisor from July 2027

The Police Board licenses and supervises gambling until the end of June 2027. From 1 July the Licensing and Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto) takes over, and a year later suppliers of gaming software will need a licence of their own.

The licence holders on 12 November 2026

Offshore casinos without a Finnish licence have a list of their own: casinos with no local licence in Finland.