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 has launched one of the most comprehensive government-backed problem gambling programmes seen in Europe, unveiling a four-year action plan that spans schools, prisons, sports clubs, banks and healthcare services. The plan, covering 2026 to 2029, is built around a public health philosophy rather than a regulatory crackdown, aiming to reduce gambling harm through awareness, early intervention and expanded treatment rather than tightening legal restrictions on access.
The government was explicit that the measures are non-regulatory in nature. There will be no changes to legal gambling access, age restrictions or betting limits as part of this programme. Instead, the focus falls on equipping individuals, families, educators and public service workers with the knowledge and tools to identify and respond to gambling-related harm before it escalates.
Children and young people aged 9 to 25 sit at the centre of the plan, identified as the group most in need of targeted intervention. Research cited in the programme specifically links young people aged 12 to 17 to gambling-style activities embedded in video games, including loot boxes and in-game skin trading. These mechanics have long been a flashpoint in the wider debate about where gaming ends and gambling begins, and Norway is now formally treating them as a public health concern worthy of structured educational intervention.
The action plan is not limited to young people, however. Athletes, individuals in custody, people with neurodevelopmental conditions, those outside education or employment and anyone with a prior history of gambling problems have all been identified as groups requiring specific attention and tailored support.
Three agencies carry the primary operational responsibility for delivering the plan. Lotteritilsynet, Norway's gambling authority, Medietilsynet, the media authority, and Helsedirektoratet, the Directorate of Health, will coordinate across their respective remits. The Norwegian Film Institute and a number of voluntary organisations will contribute to outreach work focused on gaming culture and support services.
On the prevention side, the plan involves educational programmes delivered through schools, youth clubs and sports organisations, designed to help young people recognise gambling-like elements in the digital games they already play. Prevention materials will be distributed through youth-focused online platforms and social media, with targeted campaigns aimed specifically at 16 to 25 year olds covering the risks and legal dimensions of gambling.
The treatment infrastructure is also being strengthened. Hjelpelinjen, Norway's gambling helpline, will be expanded with improved accessibility including chat services tailored to younger users. The country's existing telephone-based treatment programme, a free 12-week service that does not require a GP referral, will continue to be offered and promoted. The emphasis on low-threshold access is deliberate, recognising that barriers to seeking help are often what allows gambling problems to deepen unchecked.
One of the more distinctive elements of the plan is its reach into the prison system. The government has committed to raising awareness among prison staff and healthcare providers working in custodial settings, acknowledging that inmates frequently accumulate gambling-related debts during incarceration. That is a population that conventional public health campaigns rarely reach effectively, and the decision to build specialist expertise within the prison system reflects a genuinely serious commitment to addressing gambling harm across all vulnerable groups.
The financial sector is also being brought into the fold. Banks and financial institutions will see cooperation intensified, with front-line staff trained to spot customers displaying signs of gambling-related financial distress. Efforts to cut off financial flows to unlicensed foreign gambling operators will also be stepped up, adding a practical enforcement dimension to what is otherwise a predominantly educational programme.
All of this is unfolding against a difficult backdrop for Norway's state gambling monopoly. Norsk Tipping, which holds exclusive rights over regulated online gambling in the country, has faced a series of damaging incidents in recent months. A technical error resulted in incorrect lottery payouts, a separate issue related to Eurojackpot exposed weaknesses in internal controls and drew regulatory penalties, and concerns have been raised about the overall quality of the platform's performance and user experience. Taken together, these incidents have intensified debate about whether the monopoly model is genuinely capable of delivering the consumer protection standards it is supposed to guarantee.
Education Is Necessary But Not Sufficient
Norway's decision to anchor this plan in education and treatment rather than regulatory restriction reflects a considered philosophical position, but it comes with an inherent limitation. Non-regulatory measures are most effective when the regulated environment itself is functioning well. If a significant proportion of Norwegian gamblers are accessing unlicensed foreign sites, as the cooperation with banks suggests is a real concern, then no amount of school workshops or helpline expansion will address the structural problem. Prevention works best as a complement to strong regulation, not as a substitute for it.
The Loot Box Question Is Now a Policy Question
Norway's explicit identification of loot boxes and in-game skin trading as gambling-adjacent risks for 12 to 17 year olds is a significant policy statement. Many governments have debated this issue for years without committing resources to addressing it directly. By embedding it within a funded, multi-agency action plan, Norway is treating it as a settled question rather than an ongoing debate. That framing will be watched closely by regulators in other markets who have been slower to act, and it may accelerate pressure on the video game industry to accept tighter oversight of these mechanics before governments impose it unilaterally.
Norsk Tipping's Struggles Undercut the Monopoly Argument
The timing of this action plan, arriving alongside a string of high-profile failures at Norsk Tipping, creates an uncomfortable tension at the heart of Norway's gambling policy. The monopoly model is traditionally justified on consumer protection and harm reduction grounds. When the monopoly operator itself becomes the source of consumer protection failures, that justification becomes harder to sustain. Norway's government will need to address the operational and structural issues at Norsk Tipping with the same seriousness it is applying to the broader public health agenda. Launching a prevention programme while the regulated market's flagship operator is under scrutiny sends a mixed message, and one that critics of the monopoly model will not hesitate to exploit.
