Hippos ATG confirms Finnish gambling licence for July 2027 launch

Hippos ATG Oy, a Finnish-Swedish betting partnership formed by Suomen Hippos and ATG of Sweden, has confirmed it holds a gambling licence in Finland. The permit allows the venture to take bets on horse racing and other sports as well as run an online casino, with operations set to begin when the market opens on 1 July 2027.

The venture is just the second business to state openly that regulators have granted it a licence for Finland's regulated market. Online operator Wildz said last week that Finland's National Police Board (NPB) had given it the green light.

Ownership of the venture is split evenly between ATG, whose usual focus is Sweden and Denmark, and Suomen Hippos, the Finnish Association for Trotting and Horse Breeding. Under its profit distribution model, 60% of profit goes back to Finnish equestrian sport and horse breeding.

Hippos ATG CEO Mikael Bäcke said the company never doubted that it satisfied the conditions for a licence. He described approval as the key condition for gaining a foothold in the market, and said the venture had invested heavily in creating a new Finnish company whose procedures were built from scratch around the new law. With the licence secured, Bäcke added, the team can concentrate more on products and on finishing the build-out.

After announcing the licence, the venture stressed its aim of backing Finnish racing and equestrian sport. Bäcke said the long-term ambition is to generate enduring economic value for the country's horse industry, and that the ownership structure means a substantial share of future value will flow back to Finnish horse racing and breeding. He added that the company hopes to help the Finnish gaming market grow, which in turn would improve conditions for sports and equestrian sports in Finland.