Hippos ATG Oy has submitted an application for a gambling licence to the National Police Board’s Lottery Administration as Finland prepares to transition to a multi-licence gambling framework.
The application was filed on 2 March 2026 and represents a step in the operator’s preparations to launch services when the new licensing regime is scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2027.
The application covers horse racing betting, sports betting and online casino games. Hippos ATG plans to offer these products to Finnish customers once the regulated market opens.
The National Police Board has estimated that the processing period for licence applications will take between three and six months. The process will then move to technical integrations between licensed operators and the authority’s systems.
According to the regulator’s estimates, the overall regulatory procedure could take about 10 months from the submission stage to completion.
Hippos ATG Chief Compliance Officer Antti Koivula said the application formally begins the regulatory phase of the project.
Koivula stated: “The National Police Board has estimated that the processing time for licence applications will be 3 to 6 months, followed by the technical integrations required with the authorities’ systems. In total, the regulatory process is expected to take around 10 months. From our side, this phase has now officially started.”
The operator is jointly owned by Finnish trotting authority Suomen Hippos and Swedish horseracing betting operator ATG (AB Trav och Galopp). Ownership is split equally between the two organisations.
Under the company’s structure, profits are distributed with 60% allocated to Suomen Hippos and 40% to ATG.
Koivula said the operator intends to strengthen the connection between horseracing and betting activity in Finland.
Koivula added: “It is important to bring trotting betting back closer to the trotting sport, where it naturally belongs. Betting is an integral part of Finnish horseracing, and a new era is now beginning, in which trotting betting will once again be developed clearly from the sport’s own starting points.”
Hippos ATG is headquartered in Helsinki and led by CEO Mikael Bäcke. Its board includes representatives from both Suomen Hippos and ATG.
The company intends to launch operations when Finland’s new licensed gambling system begins in July 2027.
Hippos ATG has been expanding its leadership team ahead of the planned market launch. In February, the operator appointed Pekka Kaidesoja as Head of Content to oversee broadcasting, streaming and digital content linked to its horseracing and betting products.
Hippos ATG plans to distribute a portion of its profits to support the development of Finnish horseracing
