State-linked Swedish gambling operator AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) has officially announced the appointment of Anna Romboli as its next Chief Executive Officer. The high-profile leadership transition arrives as the enterprise executes an aggressive corporate strategy to expand its operational footprint beyond its traditional domestic market.
Romboli is scheduled to assume full command of the executive board in December, concluding an interim transition phase led by acting chief Jörgen Forsberg.
Transition at a Key State Linked Betting Group
Romboli migrates to ATG from Sweden’s state-owned lottery operator, Svenska Spel, where she successfully directed the high-volume TUR division for six years, overseeing major national gaming assets including Triss scratch cards and the cross-border Eurojackpot matrix. ATG commands a central, state-mandated role in Sweden’s horse racing economy, with its commercial earnings directly funding the country’s trotting and galloping industries. This unique financial structure ties the operator’s corporate performance closely to the wider economic health of the sport.
The leadership transition follows the departure of long-serving Chief Executive Hasse Lord Skarplöth, with Forsberg remaining in place to manage day-to-day operations until Romboli’s formal onboarding at the end of the year. The incoming chief faces a challenging domestic environment; in its fourth-quarter 2025 financial report, ATG logged a net gaming revenue of SEK5.25 billion (€479 million), representing a 2.2% decline compared to the identical period from the previous year.
Aggregate revenue contracted by 3.6% to SEK5.97 billion, while pre-tax profits dropped 16% to SEK1.57 billion and net profit fell 16.4% to SEK1.24 billion. The financial pressure is intensified by sluggish growth trends across the group’s core horse-racing and totaliser betting systems, where player stakes are pooled into a common matrix to determine fluctuating dividend payouts.
Preparing for the Liberalized Finnish iGaming Launch
To reverse these domestic revenue pressures, Romboli will prioritize the operator’s imminent market entry into Finland’s future licensed online gambling ecosystem, which is scheduled to open in July 2027. ATG has positioned itself for the market opening through Hippos ATG, a dedicated corporate joint venture established alongside Suomen Hippos, the Finnish equestrian association.
Hippos ATG operates as one of approximately 50 initial corporate applicants currently seeking online gambling licenses ahead of the multi-license launch. The newly formed business unit is configured to run directly under the standard ATG brand identity while utilizing the company’s core technology platform to handle local player tracking, data compliance, and pool-betting distribution.
Peter Norman, Chairman of the Board at ATG, emphasized that Romboli’s extensive background in managing large-scale state lottery products makes her the ideal leader to drive the group’s international growth roadmap:
“Anna has extensive experience in the gaming industry and has shown over many years that she can develop both businesses and people. She is a leader who combines business acumen with great commitment and customer focus.”
Anna Romboli expressed great pride in assuming command of the historic betting group, highlighting her intention to optimize product delivery for their 1.4 million active customers:
“I am very happy and proud to be entrusted with leading ATG. It is a company with a strong history, many committed employees and a special significance for the Swedish horse industry. I look forward to continuing to develop the offering to our 1.4 million customers together with the employees and building on what makes ATG unique.”
