Finland grants its first 18 gambling licences

Finland's National Police Board has granted the first 18 gambling licences under the Gambling Act, the board said in a notice published on 29 October 2026. The board said it is currently processing a further 63 licence applications.

The licences granted allow holders to organise games such as betting and online casino games, according to the board. Licensees may begin operating and marketing gambling games no earlier than 1 July 2027.

Applications continue to be processed in the order in which they arrive, and the board said dozens more licensing decisions are expected. The estimated processing time is currently about six to eight months, and the board said current information on processing times is available on its website.

Juho Puisto, a senior inspector at the board's lottery administration, said the board assesses each applicant against the licensing conditions listed in the Gambling Act. For Finnish applicants, background information is obtained mainly directly from national registers, while most applicants are foreign companies, which are responsible for supplying the necessary authority clearances and other attachments, Puisto said.

Puisto said processing a single application can involve reviewing a document set running to several hundred pages at most. He described the applications handled as comprehensive, and said documents from authorities in different countries vary considerably in content and presentation, so requests for supplements or clarifications are typically necessary. Where needed, the board also asks applicants to supplement information about their planned operations, and such requests affect processing times, Puisto said.

Gambling licence applications have been accepted since March 2026, and the board said the application process is continuous, so further applications may still arrive. Until the end of June 2027 the National Police Board supervises gambling operations and grants licences; from the start of July 2027, the Licensing and Supervision Agency takes over. A current list of licensees and licence numbers is published on the police website and is updated as new licences are granted.