Finland Online Casino Market: First Licence Approval Claimed

Finland is preparing one of Europe’s most significant regulated-market changes. From 1 July 2027, licensed companies will be able to offer betting, online slots, online casino games and online bingo in Mainland Finland. State-owned Veikkaus will retain exclusive rights over lotteries, scratch cards, physical slot machines and physical casino games.

Wildz Group said on 15 October 2026 that the National Police Board had approved its application, making it the first operator to publicly claim a licence for the new competitive market. The authority had not published confirmation of Wildz or any other successful applicant when this article was updated. The announcement should therefore be read as an operator disclosure supported by reported correspondence, not as a substitute for an official public licence register.

According to Wildz Group and subsequent industry reporting, the National Police Board sent a formal letter on 15 October approving the company to provide B2C gambling services when the market opens. The approval does not allow Wildz, or any brand in its group, to begin Finnish operations early. Veikkaus retains the Mainland Finland monopoly until the end of June 2027.

The group operates several brands, but a parent-company approval should not be treated as evidence that every group website, product or domain is covered. Players will need the authority’s published licence information to match the legal entity, permitted games and exact local domains before depositing after launch. Until that record is available, claims about the detailed scope remain incomplete.

The licensing window opened on 1 March 2026 through the National Police Board. Approved competitive services cannot begin before 1 July 2027. On that date, licensing and supervision transfer to the Finnish Supervisory Agency, which will also begin accepting gambling-software licence applications.

A separate software rule follows one year later. From 1 July 2028, exclusive and competitive licence holders may use only gambling software supplied by a licensed software provider. The staged timetable means an application, approval and live Finnish service are three different things: players should not treat a pending application or advance marketing as evidence that an operator is already authorised to take bets in Finland.

Competitive licences can cover betting, including on-track horse betting and virtual betting, together with online casino games, online slots and online money bingo. Veikkaus keeps the exclusive licence for lottery-type games, pools, scratch cards, physical slots and physical casino games.

Veikkaus itself can apply to compete in the licensed online market while a separate company within its group holds the exclusive licence. Industry reporting says the National Police Board had received 75 applications by 22 September 2026, but an application count is not an approval count. There is no fixed cap on competitive licences, and each successful applicant still has to wait for the legal launch date.

The new system keeps the minimum gambling age at 18 and requires strong identification for registration. All gambling will require player identification, allowing account-based limits, self-monitoring and exclusion controls to follow the individual rather than an anonymous session.

Players must set daily and monthly limits on transfers into their gambling accounts. The framework also creates a centralised self-exclusion system covering all licence holders, alongside controls for excluding from particular games or game categories. Operators must monitor gambling behaviour and provide measures intended to prevent harm.

Licensed operators will be permitted to advertise through specified channels, including television, radio, newspapers and their own websites or social-media accounts. The permission is not unlimited. Influencer marketing and direct telephone marketing are prohibited, marketing cannot target minors, and under-18s cannot feature in promotional material.

Marketing must display the 18+ limit and information about tools for managing gambling problems. Except for radio advertising, it must also identify the licence and supervisory authority. Sponsorship of under-18s or events, competitions and leagues intended for minors is prohibited.

Until the end of June 2027, Veikkaus retains its monopoly in Mainland Finland and other companies may not run or market gambling games there. A foreign licence, familiar brand or licence application does not replace Finnish authorisation. The useful evidence will be the exact legal entity, brand and domain shown in the current Finnish authority record once competitive operations begin.

Finland has not initially adopted payment blocking or IP and DNS blocking for unlicensed sites. The Ministry says those options may be assessed after the new Act enters into force. The absence of a technical block is not proof that a service is licensed, and access to a website should never be treated as a regulator check.

Before depositing after market launch, match the complete website address and operating company against the Finnish regulator’s current licence information. Confirm which products the licence covers, then read the local identity, deposit, withdrawal, bonus, complaint and self-exclusion terms. A parent company or sister brand holding a licence does not automatically authorise every domain in the group.

Players should also distinguish consumer safeguards from a promise of safety or profit. Strong identification, limits and central exclusion can improve oversight, but every bet can still be lost. Gambling is for adults only, and limits are most effective when set before play. Anyone finding it difficult to stop should use the exclusion tools and seek independent support.

The practical milestones are further licence decisions, publication of the regulator’s operator information, implementing decrees and the 1 July 2027 launch. The Ministry of the Interior’s legislative project runs until 28 February 2027 while supporting decrees are prepared. Wildz is the first operator to disclose an approval publicly, but the total number of approved operators and the detailed scope of each licence remain unconfirmed by the authority.

The reform aims to move more Finnish gambling into a nationally regulated system while reducing gambling-related harm. The Ministry also acknowledges that opening more products and marketing channels can increase availability and exposure. Licence numbers, enforcement decisions, harm indicators and the share of play channelled to regulated operators will therefore matter more than launch-day advertising.

Sources: Finland Ministry of the Interior, “Reform of the gambling system” (official project timeline and product scope, checked 17 October 2026); Finland Ministry of the Interior, “Questions and answers on gambling system reform” (official player-protection, enforcement and transition guidance, checked 17 October 2026); Finnish Government, “Finland to open some gambling services to competition” (15 January 2026, official approval and implementation summary); iGaming Business, “Wildz Group announces receipt of first Finland gambling licence” (15 October 2026, operator disclosure and regulator-confirmation caveat); and InterGame, “Wildz Group nets first Finnish igaming licence” (16 October 2026, report of the 15 October approval letter). The National Police Board had not publicly confirmed the approval when checked on 17 October 2026; use current Finnish authority records before acting.