Finland is not opening its entire gambling market. The Gambling Act 10/2026 creates a partial licensing system: some verticals open to competition, others stay with a state-owned operator under an exclusive licence. The staged entry into force of that Act governs everything below.
Three types of licence
Gambling licence. The licence international operators are applying for. It covers betting, online casino, online slots and online money bingo. Horse-race betting also opens to licensed competition. Granted for up to five years at a time. The application costs €29,000 and the authority states a six to eight month processing target.
Exclusive licence. Reserved for a state-owned company, in practice Veikkaus or a subsidiary. It covers money lotteries, pools, scratchcards, physical slot machines and land-based casino games. These verticals do not open to competition. Granted for ten years at a time.
Gambling software licence. A B2B licence for companies supplying gambling software to licensed operators. Applications open on 1 July 2027 and it is granted for up to five years at a time. Suppliers should read our separate guide, because the obligation lands a year after the market opens.
An international cooperation licence is also available, at a fee of €1,120, where an operator's plans involve cross-border arrangements.
Who grants them
Until 30 June 2027 the National Police Board handles licence applications. From 1 July 2027 the Finnish Supervisory Agency takes over licensing and supervision.
When licences take effect
Applications have been accepted since 1 March 2026, but no licence can take effect before 1 July 2027, when the Act enters into force in full. Applying early does not bring forward the ability to operate. It does mean an operator can be licensed on day one rather than waiting out a processing queue.
It is worth being precise about what a licence permits. A granted licence is not by itself permission to trade: audits and an integration project with the regulator's supervision system must also be complete.
What comes with the licence
The obligations shape the operating model as much as the licence itself: mandatory age verification and player identification, a centralised self-exclusion register applying across all licensed operators, player-set deposit limits, ongoing monitoring for harmful play, anti-money laundering controls, independent verification of gambling systems before launch, regular reporting to the supervisory authority, and annual supervision fees linked to gaming revenue. Our guide to player protection requirements sets out each of these and marks which are official and which are reported.
What this means in practice
An operator wanting to serve Finnish customers legally from July 2027 needs a gambling licence and, from July 2028, must source its software from licensed providers. A supplier wanting to sell into that market needs a software licence, and needs it before its operator clients face the 2028 obligation.
Marketing is a separate question and a restrictive one. Read our guide to gambling advertising in Finland before planning a commercial launch, and the tax guide before building a financial model.
