Wildz Group says it has secured Finland’s first online gambling licence ahead of the 1 July 2027 market opening

Wildz Group says it has received a licence to offer online gambling services in Finland once the market opens on 1 July 2027, and claims to be the first operator to publicly confirm approval. For PSPs and acquirers watching Finland’s liberalisation, the main point is simple: the application race is already producing winners, even though the regulator has not yet published a formal list.

1. Wildz Group, a Malta-based online operator with several casino brands and activity across global markets, said the licence was approved on Thursday. The company said the authorisation will take effect on 1 July 2027, when Finland opens its market to private operators.
2. Finland is overhauling a system that currently runs online gambling under a state-owned monopoly. The move to a liberalised model puts Finland among the last European countries to abandon monopoly control, following Sweden’s full liberalisation in 2019.
3. The licensing window opened in March and was expected to last six months. By 22 September, up to 75 licence applications had been submitted, well above the initial expectations set around the process.
4. The National Supervisory Authority, which is running the process, has not publicly confirmed Wildz’ licence or any other outcome yet. It is also unclear whether it will publish a list of successful applicants, which leaves the market in that familiar pre-launch state where everyone claims progress and nobody officially wants to go first.
5. There was no cap on the number of operators that could apply, but each application required a €29,000 ($33,500) processing fee. Major names, including current monopoly operator Veikkaus, have already said they want in, while market analysts have warned that Finland’s small population could make the market look crowded if too many applications succeed.

For high-risk payment providers, Finland’s key number is not just the 2027 launch date. It is the combination of a new licensing regime, broad operator interest, and a relatively small national market — a setup that usually means faster competition for processing relationships, tighter scrutiny from banks, and early pressure on channelisation targets.