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Fifty gambling operators have so far applied for B2C licences for the country’s newly regulated market, the Finnish National Police Board has confirmed.
The application window for B2C operators opened on March 1 this year ahead of the multi-licensing model opening on July 1 next year.
Finland is joining other Nordic countries Sweden and Denmark in re-regulating its gambling sector towards a commercial model.
The National Police Board said there is “no deadline” for applications, which will be processed as and when they are sent.
But it made clear that applicants should be aware of the target processing time, which is currently around six months.
It said information about average processing time will be updated on its 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,” said Juha Katainen, senior adviser at the National Police Board.
“The interest in the Finnish market is high. At this point it is clear that there will be more applications and applicants than were initially estimated,” said Antti Koviula, chief compliance officer at Hippos ATG, the joint venture operator run by ATG and Finnish trotting association Suomen Hippos.
“The race is sure on, but how many entrants is actually too many taking into consideration the market realities? I’m convinced we’ll see a similar elimination game than took place in Sweden.”
Koviula confirmed that Hippos ATG has successfully sent its application.
He added that the first applicants have now received requests for additional information from the National Police Board.
“No one will be allowed to legally go live before 1 July 2027 – with the exception of the local monopoly operator [Veikkaus] who is currently using their position to get competitive advantage in the upcoming regulated market,” Koviula said.
“The regulator also gave a very Finnish and very understandable message to applicants: read the instructions, submit the application carefully and avoid constantly asking for status updates, because answering those questions takes time away from processing applications. They are simply stretching their resources as it is.”
According to Jaakko Soininen, managing director at Finnplay, the number of applicants reached by the end of August “is the one that matters as those are the ones likely to go live when gates open,” assuming they are all granted a licence.
Writing on LinkedIn, he added that the “limit” of operators to maintain a sustainable market in Finland is between 60 and 70, although the realistic number is likely to be much lower.
While many B2C operators are actively making preparations to enter Finland’s newly regulated gaming market, the application window for B2B companies only opens on July 1 next year, when the market goes live.
B2B licences will be required from July 1, 2028.
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