General information about gambling licences
The licences issued under the Gambling Act include the gambling licence, the exclusive licence, and the software licence. In 2026, you will be able to apply for the licences to operate and market gambling services: the gambling licence and the exclusive licence.
You will be able to apply for a licence to provide gambling software from the beginning of July 2027.
Apply in writing to the National Police Board. You can fill in the application in Finnish or Swedish. Your application will be processed and evaluated in the language you used to draft it.
There is a fee for processing a licence application. In 2026, the application fee for the exclusive licence and the gambling licence will be EUR 29,000. The fee is charged for each individual application, regardless of whether the decision is positive or negative.
Application processing time
The target processing time for applications is 3–6 months. Be prepared, however, that it may take longer. In particular, the process may be delayed if the application is not completed correctly. Please complete your application carefully and follow the instructions. Fill in all the requested fields, ensuing that you have included the required attachments.
Avoid constantly enquiring about the status of your application, as responding to queries takes time that could be spent processing applications. We will update the website to show the average processing time as soon as possible.
Integration project to connect to the supervision system’s interfaces
After your licence is granted, you can start an integration project under the guidance of the National Police Board to connect to the supervision system’s interfaces. Connecting to the interfaces is mandatory.
The provision and marketing of gambling services may begin no earlier than 1 July 2027, provided that the licence has been granted, the required audits have been carried out, and the integration project to join the supervision system has been completed. You can begin marketing and providing gambling services on the start date of the enforcement period specified in the licence decision.
International cooperation licence
You can also apply for an international cooperation licence at the same time as you apply for a licence.
Apply for an international cooperation licence if your planned gambling activities involve international cooperation with gambling operators outside Finland.
An international cooperation licence may be granted to the holder of a gambling licence or an exclusive licence after their actual operating licence application has been processed. Please be patient while waiting for a decision on the international operating licence.
There is a fee for processing an international cooperation licence. In 2026, the processing fee for an international cooperation licence for the holder of an exclusive licence or a gambling licence will be EUR 1,120.
Amending a licence
You can apply for an amendment to your licence if, for example, you want to add new implementations to the gambling licence. There is also a fee for processing amendment applications. In 2026, the processing fee for an application to amend an exclusive licence or a gambling licence will be EUR 1,120.
