Summary:
The Norwegian government extended the monopoly of Norsk Rikstoto, the only body allowed to offer online casino gaming, until at least the end of 2032. The types of games offered by Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto “have high prizes, high turnover or a high risk of creating gambling problems” are why the monopoly system is necessary, according to the government.
One of the last countries in Europe to have a state gambling monopoly is Norway. Norsk Rikstoto has the exclusive rights to take bets on horse racing, while Lottery Norsk Tipping only allows online casino gaming.
The types of games offered by Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto have high prizes, high turnover or a high risk of creating gambling problems, so the monopoly system is necessary, according to the government.
The licence of Norsk Rikstoto will be extended until at least the end of 2032, as the government announced.
Minister for Culture and Equality Anette Trettebergstuen said that she believed that Norsk Tpping understood its role as a monopoly operator and that its goals were aligned with the government.
She said that it was good that Norsk Rikstoto took the role of exclusive rights provider seriously.
The gambling priorities in Norway
The Norwegian government’s top priority in gambling policy is preventing addiction, according to Trettebergstuen.
She said that raising money to support sports and good causes was also a government goal. The Norwegian horse racing industry is supported by Norsk Rikstoto’s profits.
She said that the most important thing about gambling policy was to prevent all the negative gambling that gambling can bring. There are a number of measures that the Norwegian Parliament has taken to reduce the risk of gambling problems.
We want to make sure that sports and volunteering can still benefit from the profits from gambling.
Norway’s monopoly system has faced strong opposition from some international operators, and has led to a long-standing dispute between the authorities and Unibet operator.
In September, Kindred was warned that it would have to pay a fine for every day it didn’t withdraw from Norway.
After Kindred said it would only take Norwegian players, the daily fines would cease next month.
The fines were restarted last month because the regulators claimed that the offering still targets Norwegian residents. The fines are still being appealed by Kindred.