Finland’s gambling market has entered a new phase after the government formally opened the application process for licences to operate online gambling services.
One of the first companies to submit a licence application was Hippos ATG Oy, a joint venture made up of Sweden’s AB Trav och Galopp and Suomen Hippos. The company submitted their application as soon as the application window opened and detailed plans for operating a sportsbook, online casino and racing betting.
The National Police Board of Finland will oversee the transition process and manage the applications during the start of the application process. Once the application has been approved by the Police Board, the operator will then complete the required technical integrations with the national systems; the entire licensing process could take approximately 10 months.
The new Gambling Act includes a strong emphasis on protecting the players of licensed operators. All licensed operators will be directed to perform identity verification as a pre-condition for allowing the player to play; mandated require operators to use Finland’s current Bank-ID authentication method for identity verification. Additionally, all online gambling participants will need to be a permanent resident of Finland, and all players can only make payments to play if they set a daily and/or monthly deposit limit before making any bets.
The government is also providing a total of €1.5 million in the 2026 budget to strengthen the study of gambling harm and the monitoring of gambling harm. New licensees to operate in the Finnish market must find a way to balance innovation and competitiveness within some of the most stringent consumer protection laws in the region.
