Wildz Group says it has secured a Finland gambling licence, becoming the first operator to publicly claim approval ahead of the country’s regulated online market opening on 1 July 2027. The Malta-based group’s announcement has not yet been confirmed by Finland’s National Police Board, but it marks the first concrete milestone in a licensing process that has already attracted 75 applications.
What happened
Wildz Group announced on 15 October 2026 that Finland’s National Police Board had issued it a formal letter granting permission to offer gambling services to Finnish players for five years from that date.
The company says the five-year licence will allow it to offer gambling products when Finland’s regulated online market launches on 1 July 2027.
Rootz was founded in 2018 by gaming executives from Finland and operates under a Malta Gaming Authority licence, with additional licences in Germany and Ontario.
The group now trades as Wildz Group, and
operates Wildz alongside Blingi, Caxino, Chipz, Spinz, Tuplaus and Wheelz, and also offers the Wildz Sports sportsbook.
The regulator itself has not verified the claim.
The NPB has not publicly confirmed the reported approval, according to LCB, so Wildz’s announcement remains the basis for the claim that it is first.
The National Police Board, which is overseeing the licensing application process, has not yet publicly confirmed Wildz’s or any other licence application outcomes, and it is unclear if or when the body might release a list of successful licensees.
Interest in the market has run well ahead of initial forecasts.
Licence applications rose from 50 in June to 75 by September 22.
The National Police Board had received the applications by September 22 but had not approved any at that point.
There is no limit on the number of operators that can apply for a licence, although applications required payment of a €29,000 ($33,500) processing fee.
Why it matters
Being first to confirm a Finnish gambling licence carries commercial weight even before the market technically opens, since it signals regulatory readiness to players, partners and investors months ahead of competitors.
The operator behind Caxino and Spinz says the police board approved it on Oct. 15, as 74 other applications wait
for a decision, giving Wildz a head start in positioning its multi-brand portfolio before rivals can confirm their own status.
For affiliates and performance marketers, Finland’s shift from a closed state monopoly to a competitive licensing system opens a market that has previously been largely inaccessible to regulated promotion. Once licensed operators can advertise legally from July 2027, demand for compliant search and content partnerships aimed at Finnish players is likely to grow quickly, and early movers such as Wildz are positioned to capture disproportionate branded search volume before the market fully opens.
Analysts have also flagged a capacity concern.
Market analysts have previously told iGB that despite the popularity of gambling in Finland, the market risks being oversaturated if most applications are successful, given the Nordic country’s small population.
That dynamic could make early brand recognition and affiliate visibility more valuable than in larger markets, where demand can absorb more entrants.
The bigger picture
Finland’s reform ends one of Europe’s last major state gambling monopolies.
Finland is dismantling the last major online gambling monopoly in the European Union, with its licensed market due to open on 1 July 2027 following the passage of the new Gambling Act in January 2026.
The Finnish Parliament approved the new Gambling Act on 16 December 2025 by 158 votes to nine; the president signed it on 16 January 2026.
The National Police Board began accepting applications on 1 March 2026.
Once the market opens, oversight shifts to a dedicated body.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency will take over gambling licensing and regulation from July 1, 2027.
Licensed companies will be able to offer fixed odds betting, other betting products, online slots, casino games and online bingo from July 1, 2027.
Finland also plans a controlled advertising system rather than a complete gambling marketing ban.
Finland joins a wave of regulated market openings this year that operators and affiliates are tracking closely, including Tenstar Media’s recent coverage of New Zealand’s licensing process advancing for Entain, Stake and Betway. Both cases illustrate how operators are racing to secure first-mover positioning as previously closed or unregulated markets transition to competitive licensing frameworks.
Sources
- CasinoBeats – Wildz reports Finnish gambling licence ahead of 2027 launch
- iGaming Business – Wildz Group announces Finland’s first online licence approval ahead of market launch
- EE Gaming – Wildz Group gets Finland gambling licence approval first
- iGaming Express – Finland Has Its First Licence Holder Under New Regulatory Regime
- SiGMA – Malta-based Wildz first to announce Finnish gambling licence
- iGaming.org – Finland Draws 75 Gambling Licence Applications Ahead Of 2027 Market Opening
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