Finland Approves First 18 iGaming Licenses for 2027 Market Launch

Finland Approves First 18 Online Gambling Licenses – Market Prepares for July 2027 Launch

Key Takeaways

• Finland’s National Police Board has granted 18 online gambling licenses effective July 1, 2027.
• Regulators are currently reviewing 63 additional applications for the new market.
• The processing timeframe for pending operator applications ranges from six to eight months.
• The Finnish Supervisory Agency will assume regulatory duties from the Police Board in July 2027.

National Police Board confirms initial batch of approved operators

Finland is advancing its plans for a regulated online gambling market with the approval of its first licensed operators. The National Police Board, known locally as Poliisihallitus, confirmed that 18 companies have successfully secured licenses. These approvals allow the entities to enter the new domestic online gambling market when it officially opens.

The new licenses will not become active immediately. Approved operators must wait until 1 July 2027 to launch their services in the country. Regulators have revealed the corporate names of the approved companies, but the specific iGaming brands and consumer-facing domains remain unconfirmed.

The licensing window has been open since March 2026. Companies interested in entering the market can still submit their applications to the Board for regulatory review.

Extensive documentation delays processing for foreign applicants

The National Police Board is currently processing 63 pending applications for the upcoming market. Processing these submissions requires an estimated six to eight months per applicant. The extended timeline is largely due to the complex documentation required for international businesses.

Juho Puisto, senior adviser for the gambling administration of the National Police Board, explained that the agency evaluates each applicant against the specific criteria outlined in the Gambling Act. Regulators can easily verify domestic applicants by pulling background information directly from national registers. Most applicants in the current queue are foreign companies.

International applicants bear the responsibility of supplying all necessary official reports and required attachments. Puisto noted that a single application often requires reviewers to examine hundreds of pages of corporate documents. The administrative burden increases because documents from foreign authorities differ widely in presentation and content.

These discrepancies force the Board to request supplementary details and explanations from the operators. Regulators frequently ask applicants to augment the descriptions of their internal operations to ensure compliance. Asking for this additional information directly impacts the overall processing times.

Regulatory oversight shifts to a new agency in 2027

The governance structure of the Finnish gambling market will change on the same day the new market launches. The National Police Board currently handles all supervision of gambling operations and the granting of new licenses. This mandate will continue until the end of June 2027.

A new regulatory body will assume control over the sector starting in July 2027. The Finnish Supervisory Agency will take over all licensing and supervisory duties from the National Police Board. This handover coincides precisely with the activation date for all approved online gambling licenses.

Complete list of the first 18 approved corporate entities

The authorities released the official roster of the first approved licensees in late October 2026. The list consists exclusively of the corporate entities rather than their consumer brands. The approved companies include Amber Entertainment Finland Ltd, Benelongs Ltd, and Buccone Trading Limited.

Cloudberry Ent Limited, Hippos ATG Oy, and Granturo Finland Ltd. also secured their regulatory approvals. The Board granted licenses to KuuFlip Limited, Nivei Ursi Limited, UnionJack Limited, and Pot Luck Club Ltd.

Rounding out the initial 18 approvals are RocketLily Ent Limited, Roi Roger Limited, SixthSpin Limited, Skill On Net Ltd, SuomiVeto Oy, Sunflower Gaming Limited, Stare Straight Ltd, and YTBlue Limited. These entities are the first guaranteed participants in the newly regulated jurisdiction.

Our Assessment

The confirmation of the first 18 licensees demonstrates tangible progress in Finland’s transition toward a regulated online gambling framework. Processing times for the remaining 63 applications highlight the strict compliance hurdles foreign operators face compared to domestic entities. The scheduled handover of regulatory duties to the Finnish Supervisory Agency in July 2027 indicates a structured administrative plan for the jurisdiction. The lack of confirmed consumer brands means players must wait to see which specific platforms will be available at launch.