Yle reports Finland grants 18 gambling licences before market opening

Finland’s National Police Board has granted the first 18 licences under the Gambling Act (10/2026), Yle reported on 29 October 2026. The report said a further 63 applications were being processed. Yle reported that licence holders may offer and market betting and online casino games from 1 July 2027. Yle also reported that Finland’s Veikkaus monopoly will end as the partially opened market begins.

The grants do not mean licensed operations or marketing can start immediately. Section 106 of the Act sets 1 July 2027 as its general entry-into-force date. The Act’s central rule is that gambling may be operated only by a person holding an exclusive licence or gambling licence. Gambling software may likewise be supplied only by a holder of a gambling software licence, subject to the Act’s separate transition rules.

A staged transfer of supervision

The current licensing decisions sit within a transition between authorities. Section 106 provides that the National Police Board remains the competent authority under section 57 until 30 June 2027. It also provides for duties, contracts, archives, registers and relevant data to transfer to the Finnish Supervisory Agency when the Act enters into force.

Yle reported that licensing and supervision will move from the National Police Board to the Finnish Supervisory Agency in July 2027. For applicants, that creates a two-stage timetable: the first licences are being issued before the market opens, while the authority responsible for the operating regime is due to take over at the point of entry into force.

The Act gives some parts of the reform an earlier start. Chapters 2 and 9, section 43(3), and sections 44, 57, 63 and 64 entered into force on 1 March 2026. The provisions on gambling software licences are more gradual: sections 7, 9 to 11, 13 to 15, 17 and 18 apply to those licences only from 1 July 2027, while section 2(2) and section 33 apply to them only from 1 July 2028.

What firms must plan for

The Act applies to gambling services provided or directed at mainland Finland. Its stated objectives are to protect players legally, prevent gambling-related misuse and crime, and prevent and reduce gambling-related harm. The dates in section 106 give firms several implementation milestones, including the 1 July 2027 general commencement date and the 1 July 2028 date for some gambling software licence provisions.

The grants precede the general 1 July 2027 commencement. The unresolved question for applicants is how the 63 pending applications will be processed and handed over as the supervisory authority changes.