Finland Approves Its First 12 Licenses Ahead of the 2027 Online Gambling Opening

Finland has taken a formal step toward opening its online gambling market to private operators. The National Police Board has confirmed 12 approved licenses, giving the industry its first official list of companies cleared to launch when the market opens on 1 July 2027.

1. According to the National Police Board, 79 applications had been submitted by 26 October. Twelve received a favorable decision, none had been rejected, and the remaining applications were still under review. The confirmation came in response to an information request filed by iGB.
2. Some operators, including Wildz Group and HipposATG, had already announced their licenses themselves. This is the first official confirmation from the regulator, which removes at least some of the guesswork around who is in, who is still waiting, and how far the process has moved.
3. The approved license holders are: Hippos ATG Oy, Sunflower Gaming Limited, Granturo Finland Ltd (Wildz Group), Habilidad en la red Ltd., SuomiVeto Oy, Cloudberry Ent Limited, SixthSpin Limited, KuuFlip Limitada, RocketLily Ent Limited, Nivei Ursi Limited, YTBlue Limitada and Buccone Trading Limited. These companies will be allowed to offer online gambling when Finland officially opens the market.
4. Veikkaus, the current state monopoly, is not on the approved list so far, despite submitting an application to continue competing online after liberalization. The company is expected to have an advantage when the market opens because of brand recognition and its large customer database. It will also keep its monopoly over lottery, scratch cards and land-based slot machines, while online gambling moves into private competition.
5. Finland is one of the last European countries to move away from a monopoly model, which is why operators are paying close attention. According to H2 Gambling Capital, the market generated an estimated $2170 million in gross gambling revenue (GGR) in 2026, with online channels contributing 81% of that total.

For PSPs and acquirers, the point is straightforward: Finland is not a theoretical future opportunity anymore. The licensing process is underway, the approved list is public, and the online-only segment will be open to private competition from 1 July 2027.