Finland Gambling Licensing
Exclusive, gambling and gambling software licences under the 2026 Gambling Act
Last verified: 2026-09-28
From 1 July 2027 Finland licenses gambling through an exclusive licence (Veikkaus), gambling licences for the competitive market, and gambling software licences. Applications opened 1 March 2026 with the National Police Board; 50 had been received by 8 June 2026.
Gambling Licensing in Finland
Overview
The Gambling Act creates three licence types. An exclusive licence, valid for up to ten years, can only go to a limited liability company controlled by the Finnish state — in practice a Veikkaus Group company — covering money lotteries, pools, and physical slot machines and casino games. A gambling licence, for the newly competitive market (betting, online casino games, online money bingo, online slot machines), and a gambling software licence are both granted for at most five years at a time, to any natural or legal person meeting the Act's fitness-and-propriety requirements; the number of gambling licences is not capped.
The National Police Board began accepting gambling licence applications on 1 March 2026, more than a year before licensed operations can start. It charged a EUR 29,000 processing fee per application in 2026, gave a target processing time of six to eight months, set no application deadline, and had received 50 applications by 8 June 2026, most from foreign companies. Licences granted before 1 July 2027 do not authorise gambling before that date. Gambling software licence applications open on 1 July 2027, and licence holders must use only licensed software from 1 July 2028. From 1 July 2027, the Finnish Supervisory Agency takes over as the licensing authority.
Licence application window, 2026
| Metric | Value | Verified against primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Applications received (as of 8 June 2026) | 50 | ✓ |
| Processing fee per application (2026) | EUR 29,000 | ✓ |
| Target processing time | About 6 months | ✓ |
| Application deadline | None (continuous process) | ✓ |
| Cap on number of gambling licences | None | ✓ |
| Licensing authority until 30 June 2027 | National Police Board | ✓ |
| Licensing authority from 1 July 2027 | Finnish Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto) | ✓ |
Licence types, duration and eligibility. [1]
Application fee, processing time and application count. [2]
Licence types
| Licence | Duration | Who can hold it | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exclusive licence | Up to 10 years | State-controlled limited liability company (Veikkaus Group) | Money lotteries, pools, physical slot machines and casino games |
| Gambling licence | Up to 5 years | Any qualifying natural or legal person | Betting, online casino, online money bingo, online slot machines |
| Gambling software licence | Up to 5 years | Any qualifying natural or legal person | Supplying gambling software to licence holders (from 1 July 2027; mandatory use from 1 July 2028) |
Key facts
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Verified
After the reform Veikkaus can hold an exclusive licence for money lotteries, pools (veikkauspelit), physical slot machines and physical casino games; licences in the competitive market can be granted for betting (including on-track horse betting and virtual betting), online casino games, online money bingo and online slot machines.
Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Poliisihallitus (National Police Board)
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Verified
The Gambling Act provides for three licence types: an exclusive licence (valid ten years at a time), a gambling licence for the competitive market and a gambling software licence; gambling licences and gambling software licences are granted for at most five years at a time.
Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Valtioneuvosto / Finlex
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Verified
An exclusive licence can only be granted to a limited liability company controlled by the Finnish state (in practice a Veikkaus Group company); gambling licences and gambling software licences can be granted to a natural or legal person referred to in the Enterprise Act that meets the Act's fitness and propriety requirements, and the number of gambling licences is not capped.
Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Poliisihallitus (National Police Board)
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Verified
Until 30 June 2027 the National Police Board is the competent licensing authority; from 1 July 2027 licensing and supervision under the Gambling Act pass to the new Finnish Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto).
Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Poliisihallitus (National Police Board)
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Verified
The National Police Board charged a processing fee of EUR 29,000 per gambling licence application in 2026, invoiced after receipt and payable before processing begins; there is no application deadline (the application process is continuous) and the Police now give a target processing time of six to eight months and warn that it may take longer (about six months was stated as of 8 June 2026).
Poliisihallitus (National Police Board), Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior), Poliisihallitus (National Police Board)
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Verified
As of 8 June 2026 the National Police Board's Gambling Administration had received 50 gambling licence applications, most of them from foreign applicants.
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Verified
Gambling software licence applications can be submitted from 1 July 2027, and the obligation for licence holders to use only software supplied by gambling software licence holders applies from 1 July 2028.
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Verified
Veikkaus Group must apply for a licence for its exclusive operations and may also apply for gambling licences in the competitive market; the exclusive operator and the competitive-market company must keep functions such as gambling websites, player accounts and customer registers clearly separate within the group and organise their financial relations on market terms.
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Verified
The exclusive licence holder pays the state a fee whose amount the Government sets on the basis of its gambling proceeds, and the exclusive licence stays valid only while the fee is paid; all licence holders also pay an annual supervision fee to cover the supervisory authority's costs.
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Verified
Licences granted before 1 July 2027 do not allow licensed gambling in Finland before that date: the first gambling licences take effect on 1 July 2027, when licensed companies can begin operations.
Poliisihallitus (National Police Board), Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior)
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Verified
The National Police Board assesses an applicant's reliability and suitability from submitted documents such as registry extracts, certificates and statements, and may request additional information, for example on the finances of companies connected to the applicant.
Poliisihallitus (National Police Board), Poliisihallitus (National Police Board)
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Verified
The National Police Board issued regulation 8/2026, Rahapelilain mukaisten toimilupien hakeminen (applying for licences under the Gambling Act), dated 11 February 2026.
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Verified
The National Police Board states that licence applications must be submitted in writing in Finnish or Swedish, and that in 2026 the processing fee for an application to amend an exclusive licence or gambling licence is EUR 1,120.
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Verified
Under section 70 of the Gambling Act the annual supervision fee for a gambling licence ranges from EUR 4,000 to EUR 434,000 in eight bands by gambling margin (stakes minus winnings paid), with a EUR 10,000 base fee in the first operating year.
Sources
- Sisäministeriö (Ministry of the Interior)Primary source — Questions and answers on gambling system reform — https://intermin.fi/en/projects/reform-of-the-gambling/questions-and-answers
- Poliisihallitus (National Police Board)Primary source — Rahapelitoimiluvat kiinnostavat rahapeliyhtiöitä (8 June 2026) — https://poliisi.fi/-/rahapelitoimiluvat-kiinnostavat-rahapeliyhtioita