A Member of Parliament from Norway's Progress Party has reiterated her party’s desire to end the country’s longstanding gambling monopoly. MP Silje Hjemdal is
A Member of Parliament from Norway’s Progress Party has reiterated her party’s desire to end the country’s longstanding gambling monopoly. MP Silje Hjemdal is advocating for a liberalised market, drawing inspiration from Norway’s Nordic neighbours, as the next general election approaches on September 8, 2025.
The Progress Party has been calling for an end to the gambling monopoly in Norway since its 2021 election manifesto. With the upcoming general election scheduled for September 8, Hjemdal, a member of the family and culture committee, has reaffirmed her party’s plans to make significant changes to the current framework. Speaking at a May conference held by the Norwegian trade body Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill (NBO), Hjemdal pointed to fellow Nordic nations, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, as remote gambling frameworks from which Norway could learn. While acknowledging that the party is not yet sure which exact model Norway would follow, she conveyed, as reported by iGaming Times, that what is happening in Denmark is “very exciting,” and she would “gladly take a study trip there to learn more.” Hjemdal stressed, as reported by iGaming Times, that Norway is “one of very, very few countries left that have this [remote gambling] model.” She asserted that “We must regulate better, and the way the model is today, there are actually very large sums of money that are sent out of the country every year, without going back to Norwegian sports or culture.”
Under current regulations in Norway, gambling is legally provided solely by state monopolies Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. These entities offer a range of products including online gambling, sports betting, horseracing, lottery, and physical slots. However, Norsk Tipping has faced a number of regulatory setbacks recently. This includes an investigation by the Norwegian Gambling Authority (Lotteritilsynet) after it received a tip-off that a minor had transferred funds to the operator. Furthermore, in February (2025), Lotteritilsynet announced that Norsk Tipping was facing a significant fine of up to NOK36 million (approximately $3.2 million) for allegedly preventing players from self-excluding.
In Hjemdal’s view, Norsk Tipping is failing to live up to its designated role as a monopoly organisation, a stance that she used to further reaffirm the need for an open market. She stated, as reported by iGaming Times, that “There’s a narrative that Norsk Tipping is the safest, the best, the most thoughtful and that it doesn’t make mistakes,” but countered that “they’ve been caught time and time and time again.” Hjemdal acknowledged, as reported by iGaming Times, that while the operator has to pay significant amounts for these violations, it is fortunate that journalists in the country’s major newspapers “really dare to address this,” emphasizing the crucial role of media in scrutinising these issues.
The Progress Party is not alone in its desire to end Norway’s gambling monopoly. The Conservative Party is also in favour of ending the monopoly, having called for its elimination in its latest manifesto, launched in September last year (2024). This bipartisan political support signals a significant shift. Carl Stenstrøm, chief of the NBO trade body, suggested, as reported by iGaming Times in September, that this marks the closest Norway has been to liberalising its remote gambling sector. Based on the increased political support from both parties and the influence they could wield following September’s general election, he believes the market could potentially be opened by 2028.
Norway currently stands as the final country in Scandinavia to maintain a gambling monopoly. The ongoing liberalisation of Finland’s market has also reportedly helped to spark increased political interest in Norway for new regulatory approaches. The growing political will to reform the country’s gambling framework reflects a desire to align Norway more closely with its Nordic neighbours and address concerns about offshore gambling.
