Update, 23 September 2026: this article read the summer figures as a plateau. On 23 September the National Police Board told Yle it had received 75 applications as of 22 September. The reading below was wrong and is kept here as published, with the correction logged. See our report on the September figure.
The National Police Board's Gambling Administration confirmed in June 2026 that it had received 50 licence applications since the window opened on 1 March. The majority came from companies based outside Finland. In August the figure was still being described as around 50.
The trajectory through the spring was steeper: 24 applications by early April, 41 by late May, 50 by June. The flattening since suggests most operators who intended to file early have now done so.
No fixed deadline
Industry reporting had suggested the application window would close in August 2026. The Police Board clarified that applications are accepted on a continuous basis. Operators deciding later in 2026 or in 2027 are not excluded, though those filing later face a shorter runway to the 1 July 2027 opening given the six to eight month target processing time.
What happens next
Licences cannot take effect before 1 July 2027, when the Gambling Act enters into force in full and a new Supervisory Agency assumes responsibility for licensing and supervision from the Police Board.
