Hippos ATG, the 50/50 joint venture between Swedish horseracing operator AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) and the Finnish Trotting and Breeding Association (Suomen Hippos), has been granted a Finland gambling licence for horserace betting, sports betting and online casino, the company said on 19 October 2026. It can go live when the market opens on 1 July 2027.
The licence was issued under Finland’s new Gambling Act, according to Hippos ATG’s announcement. The Helsinki-based company will trade under the ATG brand, and its casino offer will include the online casino games ATG already runs in Sweden and Denmark.
First in the queue
Hippos ATG was the first company to file a licence application with the National Police Board (Poliisihallitus), submitting it in spring 2026, according to Finnish trade site Rahapelisanomat. Wildz Group announced its own Finnish licence the previous week, the same outlet reported.
Mikael Bäcke, CEO of Hippos ATG, said the application covered responsible gambling, anti-money laundering (AML), data security, technical compliance, internal control, risk management and corporate governance.
A positive decision is the most important prerequisite for entering the market, so this is a significant moment for us.
Mikael Bäcke, CEO, Hippos ATG, in a statement (translated from Finnish)
Profit for Finnish racing
Suomen Hippos and ATG each hold 50% of Hippos ATG, and 60% of the company’s profit will go back to Finnish trotting and horse breeding, according to the announcement. ATG has operated in Sweden since 1974 and entered Denmark in 2019.
We want to take part in developing the gambling sector and, through that, also support the conditions for Finnish sport and horse racing.
Mikael Bäcke, CEO, Hippos ATG, in a statement (translated from Finnish)
Finland market timeline
Finland’s B2C licensing window opened on 1 March 2026, ahead of competition with state operator Veikkaus in online betting and casino from 1 July 2027 under a 22% tax on gross gaming revenue (GGR). The authority had about 50 applications on file in August, TGE reported; Rahapelisanomat now puts the total at about 80.
Veikkaus posted €471.3m in revenue for the first half of 2026. Hippos ATG and other licensees can start taking bets and casino play in Finland on 1 July 2027.
Source: Hippos ATG
