Interest in Finland's future licensed market has run ahead of initial estimates: by 22 September the National Police Board had received 75 licence applications, up from the 50 recorded in June.
The figures were reported by Finnish public broadcaster Yle, citing the authority. One important caveat: this is a count of applications, not of companies. Each application carries its own fee and a single operator can file more than one. Janne Nikkinen, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, expects most of the 75 to come from different companies, but the authority has not published a breakdown.
Applications opened on 1 March 2026. The first months were the busiest, with 24 applications in March and 23 in May, senior inspector Sanna Kuusela of the National Police Board told Yle. There is no filing deadline — the window stays open, so the total may rise further before the market launches.
According to the Finnish police's official guidance, the 2026 processing fee for a gambling licence or an exclusive licence is EUR 29,000, charged for each individual application regardless of whether the decision is positive or negative. Once an application is received the applicant is invoiced, and processing begins only after payment. Applications may be submitted only in Finnish or Swedish. As of late September the authority had not decided a single application.
The target processing time is six to eight months, though the authority warns it may take longer, particularly where an application has not been completed correctly. Note that the Finnish-language FAQ on the police website still gives an earlier figure of three to six months — the authority's own pages disagree.
A gambling licence may be granted for up to five years. An exclusive licence always runs for ten, and can only go to a limited company under Finnish state control — in practice Veikkaus. The EUR 29,000 fee is the same for both types of application. No licence can take effect before 1 July 2027, and none can be granted retroactively.
Why the number is considered high
Nikkinen noted that earlier forecasts pointed to between 40 and 60 applications, and even those estimates were seen as optimistic at the time. For comparison he points to Sweden, which currently has 89 licences with roughly double Finland's population.
In his view, the interest reflects the scale of what is being divided up: a sector with revenues in the billions that is opening to private operators for the first time. The market is not being built from scratch, though — some of the large international operators were already taking Finnish players before licensing, and the new regime will simply make those volumes visible.
Most applicants are foreign companies. As senior inspector Juha Katainen has noted, that in itself makes vetting harder: the reliability and suitability of applicants are assessed on the documents they submit — register extracts, certificates and various supporting statements.
From monopoly to licensing
Finland is unwinding the monopoly of state-owned Veikkaus. The reform was set out in Petteri Orpo's government programme; in July 2024 the Ministry of the Interior sent the draft bill out for consultation, parliament approved it in December 2025, and President Alexander Stubb signed it on 16 January 2026. The law stands as Rahapelilaki 10/2026, and it sets out the new licensing system.
The monopoly is not being abolished outright. Sports betting, horse race betting, online casino and online slot games, and electronic bingo are opening to competition. Veikkaus retains lotteries, scratch cards and the land-based segment — physical slot machines and casino games.
Veikkaus is preparing for competition of its own accord: it has carved out two subsidiaries and is restructuring its online business so that it can operate on equal terms with private operators.
The loss of the monopoly has also opened a political debate about the company's future. SDP party secretary Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi said the state has no particular strategic interest in owning a gaming company in this situation, and that any decision to sell would depend on whether the proceeds could be put to better use. The Liike Nyt party favours full privatisation of Veikkaus and a stock market listing. Only the Left Alliance has come out against a sale.
What happens next
The National Police Board remains the licensing and supervisory authority until the end of June 2027. From 1 July 2027 those functions pass to a new body, the Lupa- ja valvontavirasto (Finnish Licensing and Supervision Agency).
B2B timelines run separately: applications for a gambling software licence open at the beginning of July 2027, and the licence becomes mandatory from July 2028.
For operators and affiliates, the practical marker is that stated six-to-eight-month window. Applications filed in March 2026 should, if they run smoothly, produce first decisions in autumn or late 2026 — meaning the shape of the future market will start to emerge well before it actually opens on 1 July 2027.
