75 Gambling Licence Applications Filed In Finland
Finland's National Police Board (NPB) had received 75 gambling licence applications by Sept. 22, up from 50 in June, as operators position themselves ahead of the regulated market's opening on July 1, 2027.
Applications Climbing Steadily
The NPB has not yet decided on any of the applications, a spokesperson told Finnish public broadcaster Yle, as reported by European Gaming. Applications opened on March 1, with 24 filed that month and 23 more in May.
There is no application deadline and no legal cap on the number of operators. The NPB's target processing time has been extended from around six months to six to eight months, with a warning that it may take longer.
Total Beats Early Estimates
University of Helsinki researcher Janne Nikkinen told Yle the total is higher than expected, having earlier estimated 40 to 60 applications as "a little optimistic." He compared the figure to Sweden, which has around 89 licences despite roughly double Finland's population.
"Finland is attracting interest," Nikkinen said. "After all, this is a billion-dollar pot that is being distributed here now." One company can file multiple applications covering different game types, so the 75 filings do not necessarily represent 75 separate betting site operators.
State-owned Veikkaus, which will lose its long-standing monopoly when the market opens, has applied for licences covering both its exclusive operations and the competitive market, while Unibet is also among the applicants, according to the report. The change will end decades of state control over Finland's online casino and betting sector.
