Finland’s upcoming betting market keeps expanding

Finland’s soon-to-be-launched gambling market is gaining more and more prospectors by the day with 711 and Play North both securing licences this week. Belgium-based 711 confirmed on 13 November 2025 that the National Police Board of Finland had approved the company’s licence application. Finland will become the firm’s third market after Belgium and the Netherlands. In a statement shared on LinkedIn, 711 stated that the Finnish launch marks “another exciting chapter in our growth story”. The company states that it is going to localise and test its Finnish-facing product over the next eight months. Finland’s multi-licence gambling market is due to launch on 1 July 2027. The market will replace the long standing monopoly over gambling activity held by state-owned Veikkaus Oy, though the company will retain exclusive rights to operate physical casinos and the lottery. Will Finland’s betting market be big enough? The market launch will end one of the last remaining gambling companies in Europe, the others being Norway and Austria. As expected, it has attracted attention from across the continent’s gambling industry. Three days before 711 announced its successful application, Malta-based Play North confirmed that it too hard secured a licence. LIke 711, this will make Finland Play North’s third market with the firm operating Kasino.nl under a five-year Dutch licence and Vincino.pt in Portugal under a licence approved in July this year. Play North stated that it intends to learn from its experience in the Netherlands and Portugal as it heads to Finland. “One, two, three — three licences secured is a fantastic achievement for the group and Play North and a testament to our rigorous compliance and dedication to fully regulated jurisdictions,” said Greg Papanastasiou, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Play North. “With our Finnish licence now granted, we are further strengthening our robust regulatory footprint, ensuring that player protection, safety, and responsible gambling remain at the very heart of everything we do.” Both 711 and Play North will have their work cut out when Finland’s market launches next summer, however. A grand total of 21 other companies have also been approved already, while the National Police Board has received more than 70 applications. Key players in the market will include Veikkaus and Paf, the latter being the state-owned operator in the autonomous Aland Islands. Both firms have considerable experience in the region due to their long-held monopoly status. Other successful applicants include Hippos ATG, a joint venture between Swedish horse racing betting firm ATG and Swedish horse racing authority Suomen Hippos. SuomiVeto is set to become another major local player, having been set up as a Finland-founded business in the midst of legislative deliberations around the Gambling Act in 2025.