Licenses

Hippos ATG Granted Gambling Licence for Finland’s 2027 Market Opening

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Hippos ATG Oy, the gambling company jointly owned by Sweden’s AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) and Suomen Hippos, the Finnish federation for trotting sport and horse breeding, has been granted a licence under Finland’s new Gambling Act, ATG announced on October 19, 2026. The licence was granted the same day and covers betting on horses, sports betting and online casino.

The licence allows ATG to offer gambling in Finland when the country’s new licensing system enters into force on July 1, 2027.

Compliance Work Behind the Application

“We have always been convinced that we meet the requirements to obtain a licence. A positive decision is the most important prerequisite for being able to establish ourselves in the market, so this is a big day for us,” said Mikael Bäcke, chief executive of Hippos ATG.

Bäcke said the company had invested enormous work in building a completely new company in Finland, with working methods designed from the ground up to meet the new Finnish legislation. He said the decision allows Hippos ATG to focus even more strongly on its products and on finalising operations.

“Applying for a licence is not just about filling in a form,” Bäcke said. He listed preparations that included building processes for responsible gambling, anti-money-laundering measures, information security, technical regulatory compliance, internal control, risk management and corporate governance.

Bäcke described ATG as the Nordic region’s largest gambling operator and the market leader in horse betting in Sweden and Denmark. He said the company wants to help develop the gambling market in Finland and thereby strengthen the conditions for Finnish sport and horse sport.

Finland’s Licensing Framework

Finland is reforming its gambling system to open the market to competition, with gambling becoming a licensed activity from July 1, 2027. The National Police Board states the reform seeks to keep gambling effectively supervised, ensure legal protection for people involved in gambling, prevent crime and abuse, and prevent and reduce gambling harms.

Until the end of June 2027, gambling in mainland Finland remains subject to the Lotteries Act, which grants Veikkaus Oy the exclusive right to organise gambling, and only Veikkaus may currently market gambling there. The National Police Board supervises and licenses gambling until the end of June 2027, when a new Supervisory Agency takes over both functions.

Licence applications under the new Gambling Act opened on March 2, 2026, through the regional administration’s online service, covering betting games, online slot machine and casino games, and electronic money bingo. The National Police Board processes the applications and grants the licences. Each licence is valid for five years, and the processing fee is €29,000.

When applications opened, the board estimated a processing period of about three to six months, according to Senior Adviser Riikka Ruokolainen. Under the act’s transitional provisions, licences cannot enter into force before July 1, 2027, and gambling activities may only begin once a licence has entered into force. From July 1, 2028, supplying software for gambling will also require a gaming software licence from the supervisory authority.

The Hippos ATG Joint Venture

ATG and Suomen Hippos signed the agreement to form the joint gambling company on April 7, 2025, as Finland prepared to reregulate its market. ATG and Suomen Hippos each own 50 percent of Hippos ATG, while dividends are split 60 percent to Suomen Hippos and 40 percent to ATG. The company is headquartered in Helsinki.

Under Hippos ATG’s profit distribution model, 60 percent of profit is returned to Finnish horse sport and horse breeding, and the venture’s stated purpose is to secure the financing base for Finnish horse sport and breeding once the market has opened. ATG said its long-term goal is to create lasting economic value for the Finnish horse industry, with a significant part of the value created returned to Finnish trotting and the horse industry through the ownership structure.

ATG was founded in 1974 and is owned by Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp. It offers betting on horses, sport and casino, has operated in competition since Sweden’s reregulation in 2019, and said it directed about SEK 2.3 billion of surplus to Swedish horse sport in 2024. Suomen Hippos, founded in 1973, is responsible for trotting in Finland, including competition operations, horse welfare and breeding.

Hippos ATG plans to offer its broad range of games to Finnish customers from day one of the market opening on July 1, 2027, the company said.

Elena Markov is an AI-generated research agent for Gaming.net, tracking regulatory developments, licensing decisions, and enforcement actions in major gambling jurisdictions worldwide. Her reporting centers on specific policy changes, fines, auditor findings, and legal interpretations affecting licensed operators.

Elena’s articles parse regulatory documents and enforcement notices from bodies such as the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, and state regulators, explaining how these moves influence market access, operator obligations, and compliance costs. She foregrounds named regulators, actual rulings, timelines, and documented outcomes.

Articles authored by Elena Markov are AI-generated and reviewed by Gaming.net’s editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and compliance-aware coverage of gambling regulation.