As Finland prepares to launch its regulated gaming market, Wildz emerged as the first iGaming operator to confirm that it has secured a license. At the same time, Finland continues to tighten its rules and penalize those who seek to violate them.
Wildz Claims to Be the First Online Casino to Receive a Finnish License
Wildz Group, a Malta-based gaming company, became the first online gambling operator to receive a license to operate in Finland’s upcoming iGaming market. As announced by the company, it has now received official authorization from the Finnish National Police Board (NPB). According to Wildz, the NPB authorization allows it to offer gambling products locally for five years.
For reference, Wildz Group is the company behind brands, such as Blingi, Caxino, Chipz, Spinz, Tuplaus, Wildz, and Wheelz. The company also has an online sportsbook called Wildz Sports.
Prior to its decision to liberalize its market, Finland operated under a monopoly model. Per this regime, Veikkaus was the exclusive online gaming operator in the country. However, lawmakers decided to end the monopoly and open the market to international operators, opening a new chapter for online casino gaming in Finland.
The new iGaming market is set to launch on July 1, 2027.
Wildz’s Leadership Praised the “Amazing News”
As is the case with most new gaming markets, the Finnish iGaming market has attracted a lot of attention from the broader casino industry. GamblingNews previously reported that some 75 companies had applied for a license and, while the NPB did not publish a list of all applicants, the likes of LeoVegas and Betsson confirmed their interest in the local market. With that in mind, becoming the first company to receive authorization grants Wildz some security and bragging rights.
Sam Brown, Wildz’s chief executive officer, commented on the authorization in Finland, calling it “amazing news.” According to him, becoming the first operator to receive a Finnish license is a “welcome reward” for all the efforts of his team.
We’re excited about this milestone and what it represents for the future of Wildz Group. We believe that our brands will offer players in Finland a safe and engaging entertainment product for many years to come. We’re looking forward to July 2027.
Sam Brown, CEO, Wildz
In other news, Finland just doubled down on its strict approach toward the illegal promotion of gambling. The National Police Board just emphasized that prohibition orders and conditional fines remain among the legal measures at its disposal. In fact, the board has issued 4 prohibition orders and 6 conditional fines in 2026 alone.
One of the latest entities penalized by the NPB was MagicPoro, which is said to have targeted Finns with its marketing content.