Kingdom of Norway
Norway is one of the last full gambling monopolies in Western Europe. Under the Gambling Act (pengespilloven) of 18 March 2022, in force since 1 January 2023, Norsk Tipping AS and the holder of the horse-gambling licence, Norsk Rikstoto, hold the exclusive right to offer gambling, including online casino and online sports betting. There is no commercial licensing route for private or foreign operators. The Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority (Lottstift) supervises the two operators and enforces against offshore supply using payment blocking, in place since 2010, an advertising ban on foreign-broadcast gambling adverts from 2021, and DNS blocking of illegal gambling websites introduced in 2025.
The question that has run for years is whether Norway holds the monopoly or follows Sweden and now Finland into licensing. For the moment the direction of travel is the opposite: enforcement is tightening rather than loosening, with DNS blocking added to the existing payment-blocking regime. Watch the channelisation debate and any legislative proposal that would open the online verticals, plus how effective the new blocking powers prove against offshore supply.
Norway is investing heavily in education, treatment and research to tackle gambling harm from the ground up. But with its state monopoly operator under scrutiny, the government faces questions about whether prevention alone is enough.
Norway expands charity lottery access to twenty-three organisations as the state monopoly faces unprecedented political and regulatory challenges.
A new study from Norway has provided quantitative evidence linking video game mechanics like loot boxes and skin betting to a higher prevalence of gambling
Lotteri- og stiftelsestilsynet
Lotteri- og stiftelsestilsynet
Lovdata (Norwegian official legal information)
ICLG (International Comparative Legal Guides)