Wildz Group says it has won Finland’s first online gambling licence ahead of the market opening in 2027

Malta-based Wildz Group says it has received a licence to operate in Finland once the market opens on 1 July 2027, making it the first operator to publicly claim a local licence. For PSPs and acquirers watching high-risk Europe, the useful part is simple: Finland is moving from monopoly to a licensed private market, and the application queue is already looking crowded.

1. Wildz Group said it obtained permission to operate in Finland after the market opens on 1 July 2027. The company is the first operator to publicly announce that it has secured a local licence.
2. Online gambling in Finland is currently run under a state monopoly. From July 2027, private companies will be allowed in, which puts Finland among the last European countries to abandon the monopoly model, after Sweden fully liberalised its market in 2019.
3. The application process began in March. As of 22 September, regulators had received 75 applications, far above the initial expectations. There was no cap on the number of applicants, but each review carried a €29 000 fee, or about $33,5 thousand.
4. Veikkaus, the current monopolist, also publicly expressed interest in the market. The national supervisory authority reviewing the applications has not yet confirmed either Wildz’s licence or the outcomes for other applicants.
5. It remains unclear whether the regulator will publish a list of licensees, and if so, when. Wildz said it expects to work with the regulator to achieve the highest possible level of channelisation into the legal market. Analysts had previously warned that approving most applications could leave a relatively small population market overcrowded.