ATG to Appoint New Board as Government Hands Over Control

The Riksdag recently decided on changes to the gambling legislation, which, among other things, means that the state will hand over control of the gambling company ATG to its owners Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp.

On Thursday, April 10, the government, together with Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp, signed a long-term agreement that ensures the owner-led model in ATG as well as the conditions, state transparency and financing of the Hästnäringens Stiftelse (HNS).

Since ATG was formed in 1974, the state has always had a majority on the company’s board. This remained the case even after the reregulation of the gambling market in 2019, when ATG lost its exclusive right to arrange betting on horses in Sweden. Since the beginning of 2023, Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp have had an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the government regarding ATG’s ownership model and the financing and operational direction of HNS.

“It is about trust from the government and the Riksdag. Together with the state, we have built a world-class ATG for fifty years. Now we will have full ownership responsibility based on a continued agreement with the state. The model ensures commercial conditions for the sport’s economic future. We will take good care of it and thereby live up to the trust in a sport with roots throughout the country,” said Anders Källström, chairman of Svensk Travsport.

The relationship with the state is now maintained in a new long-term agreement that ensures a number of fundamental conditions for the ownership of ATG. Among other things, the current ownership structure is regulated, where Svensk Travsport owns just over ninety percent and Svensk Galopp just over nine percent of the shares in ATG. This cannot be changed without the government’s approval.

“From Svensk Galopp’s side, we are proud and happy about the increased trust as a responsible owner of ATG. In the increasingly fierce competition in the gambling market, it is important to have an actor that protects our stakeholders, such as players and the horse industry as a whole,” said Anders Lilius, chairman of Svensk Galopp.

Also the financing of the National Foundation for the Equine Industry (HNS) and that it will continue to be operated on similar grounds as today is established in the new agreement. The state will in future be given the opportunity to appoint a member of the HNS board.

A new board of directors for ATG will now be appointed and the work of the nomination committee is already underway. The proposals from the nomination committee will be presented on 28 April, after which a decision on a new board will be made at ATG’s annual general meeting on 8 May.