Hippos ATG Oy has applied to Finland’s National Police Board Lottery Administration for a licence to offer online gaming and sports betting. The joint venture also intends to offer horse-racing betting and online casino products; its compliance chief said the overall licensing process is expected to take around 10 months.
The application is an early step towards competition in Finland’s online gambling market from July 2027.
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Hippos ATG has appointed Pekka Kaidesoja as head of content, the company said. Chief executive Mikael Bäcke said Kaidesoja’s experience in sports broadcasting, content production and horse racing would support content for the Finnish market. Hippos ATG plans to offer betting and online casino in Finland when the re-regulated market opens in July 2027.
Hippos ATG has appointed former Betsson executive Jussi Nurmi as chief operating officer, the company said. Nurmi joins ahead of the joint venture’s planned Finnish market launch in 2027; he most recently served as commercial strategy director for Betsson’s Tonybet brand.
Finland’s National Police Board has received 50 applications for business-to-consumer gambling licences since applications opened on 1 March 2026, according to the board. The regulated online market is scheduled to launch on 1 July 2027, and the board said processing each application takes around six months. The board has said applications remain open with no submission deadline.
The Football Association of Finland is investigating suspected irregular wagering on a fourth-division match between HIFK and Atlantis played earlier in August. The match ended 5-3 to Atlantis after HIFK led 3-1 at half-time; the association’s integrity officer said it had received information that may indicate match-fixing.
Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court rejected individual-spin taxation for online slots hosted outside the European Economic Area, citing Taloustaito. Judges voted 3–2 to require session-based calculations. Hippos ATG chief compliance officer Antti Koivula said players cannot offset losses in one session against another session’s gains.