Online Gaming in Norway

Norway's stance on internet gaming has been prohibitive except for online gaming provided by the state monopolies. Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, the country's state gambling monopolies, are allowed to offer a range of games on the internet. Norsk Tipping provides totalizator and sports betting and lottery games, while Norsk Rikstoto has the exclusive right to operate pari-mutuel betting. Online gambling at the approved sites is restricted to bettors residing within the country's borders. Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are exempt from all taxation.

The Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority oversees the land-based and online gambling industry. The board operates under the Ministry of Culture and is in charge of ensuring compliance with the main gambling acts. The board supervises the activities of Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, ensuring their compliance with the three main gambling acts: the Lottery Act, the Gaming Schemes Act and the Totalizator Act. Specific regulations and guidelines for gambling advertisements are in place for state-owned gaming companies and marketing materials are reviewed and evaluated by the Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority. There is a total ban on all gaming advertisements from unlicensed and illegal entities.

Norway's Payment Act, which went into effect in June 2010, bans the processing of online gambling transactions with foreign internet gambling sites. The law states that transferring funds between Norway accounts and unlicensed Norwegian online gaming operators amounts to "accessory involvement" in unlawful gambling and criminalizes the processing of payments, not the playing itself.

In 2013, the Norwegian government announced it would liberalize the country's online gaming laws and allow foreign operators into the market. In late 2014, the Culture Committee began closely examining the impact of such a market and all signs pointed toward Norway passing legislation in 2015; however, Norway's online gaming laws have not yet changed. Instead, a consolidated Gambling Act adopted in 2022 and phased in from 2023 has further entrenched the exclusive-rights model, strengthened enforcement tools (including infringement fees for illegal advertising) and reinforced responsible-gaming requirements for the monopolies.

In April 2018, the Norwegian Gaming Authority began a consultation on its proposals to further restrict internationally licensed online gambling operators’ access to Norwegian gamblers.

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