Gambling licences interest gambling operators

Several dozen gambling operators have already applied for a licence. It currently takes an estimated six months to process applications.

It has been possible to apply for gambling licences since 1.3.2026. The National Police Board's Gambling Administration has so far received 50 applications. After their application has been received, applicants are sent an invoice to pay the processing fee, which in 2026 is €29,000. Once the processing fee has been paid, the applications will start to be processed.

“The reliability and suitability of the applicants will be evaluated on the basis of documents, such as register extracts, certificates and various reports, submitted by the applicant. The complexity of processing and evaluating applications is affected by the fact that the majority of applicants are foreign,” says Juha Katainen, Senior Adviser at the National Police Board.

The National Police Board hopes that applicants will carefully read the instructions on how to complete the application and submit the attachments. Applicants are asked to submit only the attachments that are in accordance with the instructions. If necessary, the National Police Board will request additional information to the application and attachments.

Requests for additional information may be made, for example, regarding the financial situation of the companies linked to the applicant, as these may play a significant role in financing the launch of the applicant's operations. 

No deadline for submitting applications

There is no deadline for applying for a gambling licence. The application process is continuous, so to speak. However, applicants should take into account the target processing time of applications, which is currently around 6 months. 

“We hope that applicants will avoid constantly contacting us about the processing status of their application, as answering enquiries takes time away from the processing applications,” Juha Katainen says.

Information about average processing time will be updated on the police of Finland website as soon as this is possible.

“The best way applicants can help the processing of their application is by following the instructions given and submitting their application carefully,” Juha Katainen adds. 

The gambling market will open up, and the first gambling licences will enter into force on 1 July 2027, which is when gambling operators that have already received a licence will also be able to start operations. 

Gambling services will continue to be supervised and licences granted by the National Police Board until the end of June 2027 and from July 2027 by the Finnish Supervisory Agency.