Gambling Regulations in Norway: Where Does the Legislation Stand?

Gambling will always remain an area of interest globally, specifically in matters to do with its legislation in various countries. While there are countries whose governments don’t monopolize or provide any legal restrictions against gambling, others do quite the opposite. But there is another set of states where you cannot really tell where they stand on their gambling authorization.

This means that theoretically, they employ stringent gambling rules but at the same time, practically, most gambling companies do not adhere to such rules and they go unpunished. Norway is such a country.

What Does the Law in Norway Dictate Concerning Gambling?

As is evident from toppcasinobonus.com/, several foreign-based online sites operate in the Scandinavian country. It is also clear that a majority of the operational gambling sites are unlicensed despite the fact that on numerous occasions the government has toyed with the idea of eliminating unlicensed sites by blocking their IP addresses.

A Breakdown of the Requirements of Legal Gambling in Norway

• Any Norwegian interested in gambling activities should be of legal age which is 18+.
• Gambling winnings, both locally and internationally, are taxable.
• Foreign companies are forbidden from advertising gambling-related services in Norway.
• Norwegian banks, according to the law, should not facilitate foreign gambling funding through the use of debit or credit cards.

Where do such requirements place Norwegians looking to explore a variety of gambling options and privileges other than those offered by Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto?

Conceptually, gambling is predominantly illegal in Norway except for Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto as the only state-allowed foundations to service gambling. Norsk Tipping facilitates gambling of poker, lottery, keno, sports, and scratch card games. Norsk Rikstoto, on the other hand, is famed for horse race gambling. 

Any other form of gambling that does not come from these two entities is illegal. This is despite the European Union not buying Norway’s gambling monopolization idea. However, the Government has made its law clear on prohibiting foreign companies from exploring its jurisdiction.

Ideally, private gambling companies can seek authorization to offer gambling services, only that there are restrictions on gambling activities they can provide. Also, by law, private companies should be willing to utilize or channel a certain percentage of their profits to charitable causes and Norsk Tipping.

Some games (both physical and online-based) are also legal and some are illegal. Some of the legalized gambling games in Norway include sports, poker, horse racing (a very popular sport in Norway), and bingo. Slots games were prohibited back in 2007 because it registered a huge number of addicted gamblers despite recording impressive gross and net turnovers. However, that did not stop slot game players from accessing and enjoying them on various foreign casino sites. Bingo, on the other hand, is legal but has several restrictions, all of which should be fulfilled, such as giving out a certain percentage of profits to good causes.

In June 2010, the government went ahead and forbid the banks from allowing credit and debit cards to fund foreign and unlicensed gambling activities. That did not stop other funding options, mostly e-wallets, from operating and it goes to prove just how Norway’s imposed law isn’t strict about private or unlicensed gambling after all.

The Practical Side of Norwegian Gambling Law

Now that private or foreign gambling entities operating in Norway do not cower at the possibility of being seen as criminals by the Norwegian legislation, it can be inferred that Norwegians can freely venture into different gambling venues. According to Statista, a 2018 survey showed that an impressive 58% of Norwegian gambling lovers, most of whom are young people, participated in lotteries. Since that was back in 2018, the numbers have probably increased in the following years, a clear indication that suggests many Norwegians are active gamblers.

The reliable Norwegian casino review platform TopCasinoBonus, suggests there is an impressive number of gambling companies currently operating in the country. As Josefin Björklund from TopCasinoBonus observes, the gambling companies share several things in common. Such things as giving out free spins, available to new users, and they also operate with the Krone, the Norwegian currency. There are many special offers that gambling sites offer registered customers, which makes it hard for most gamblers to resist.

The prevalence of accessible sites to Norway citizens indicates that online casinos are getting more popular by day compared to physical ones. With a current record of over 300 online gambling sites accepting gamblers from Norway, the possibility cannot be ruled out that the number will continue to grow. Here is a brief look at some of them and the game types offered:

• Mobilebet. Awards 50 Kroner for free after registration and boasts a wide selection of games.
• Norges Automaten. Newly signed account owners stand to claim 200 spins free-of-charge as well as 100% going up to 500 KR in bonus upon registration and after making the first deposit.
• Cherry Casino. The site has a selection of both table and slots games and gives up to 500 free spins.
• Betsson. This site gives a 3000KR bonus for new signees upon first deposit. Gamblers can enjoy live casino, odds, and poker from Betsson.
• Rizk. It has several slots plus casino games and also offers 100 spins, all free.

There are many sites that Norwegians have access to, so the above named are just a few examples. The most used methods of payment include Skrill, PaySafeCard, Neteller, etc. They are reliable payment options for many gambling platforms. 

In A Nutshell

It is safe to conclude by stating that notwithstanding the current strict rules against certain aspects of gambling in the state of Norway, gambling lovers still have alternatives where most of them have found solace in foreign sites. It is also clear that the Norwegian government isn’t that dedicated to enforcing the law even though it has clearly dictated it.