Mikael Bäcke named to lead Hippos ATG in Finland
Bäcke will prepare the ATG and Suomen Hippos joint venture ahead of the expected opening of Finland’s gambling market.
Finland.- The Swedish horseriding betting operator ATG has named Mikael Bäcke as CEO of Hippos ATG Oy, its online gambling joint venture with the Finnish equestrian association Suomen Hippos. He takes the helm of the venture with an eye to compete on the Finnish online gambling market, assuming that the Finnish Gambling Act passes parliament.
Bäcke joined ATG in 2014 became chief product officer in October 2016. He has served as CEO of the operator’s Danish-facing subsidiary 25syv Group since August 2019. Henrik Friis Pedersen, currently CEO for the division’s Bet25 brand will take the helm of the full division in Bäcke’s place. Bäcke previously worked at Modern Times Group on the Viasat AB brand.
“This is a very exciting assignment and an important and aggressive investment for ATG and the entire sport of Nordic trotting,” he said. “Together with Suomen Hippos, we are building a new, attractive gaming company that means both customers and the trotting sport win.”
Minna Mäenpää, CEO of Suomen Hippos and member of the board of directors of Hippos ATG Oy, said: “Mikael has a very good knowledge of the Nordic gambling market, and he has been closely involved in the preparation of the joint venture. It is great to have him involved in building the new company’s operations in Finland. The goal is to create a new competitive gaming company as part of the new Finnish gambling market that will open on January 1 2027.”
ATG and Suomen Hippos announced the creation of Hippos ATG Oy in April with the intention of offering sports and racing betting and igaming when Finland opens its market to competition. The company has now been registered in Finland’s Trade Register.
The joint venture will be headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and ownership will be equally divided between ATG and Suomen Hippos. Profits will be distributed at 40 per cent to ATG and 60 per cent to Suomen Hippos, including for reinvestment into Finland’s racing industry.
Gambling in Finland currently remains the preserve of state-controlled Veikkaus, but the Finnish government intends to launch a competitive regulated gambling market by January 2027. The expectation is that a window for Finnish gambling licence applications would open on January 1 2026. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of the centre-right National Coalition Party (NCP) believes the proposed reforms would improve player protection while increasing tax revenue from gambling.
