Gambling Laws in Norway
According to the
Norwegian gambling laws, gambling in the country is considered to be legal, though highly regulated. The Norwegian gambling market is mainly an oligopoly, with two state-owned companies,
Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, which hold licenses to offer most of the lega gambling games in Norway. Both companies have the national monopoly on the casino offers, as well as on horse race betting. In addition, there is a private lottery market including traditional lotteries and bingo.
The three main sources for the gambling regulations are the
Totalisator Act, the
Gaming Scheme Act, and the
Lottery Act. The
Norwegian Gaming Authority is the body that supervises the legal functioning of the gambling market. Moreover, in 2010, the Government passed the
Payment Act, a law that prohibits Norwegian banks to process transactions with unlicensed and overseas
online gambling sites.
Online Casinos in Norway
Online casinos in Norway amount only to the state-owned Norsk Tipping which works under the direction of the Norwegian Ministry of Culture. Since 2014 that the company is the holder of the only
Norwegian online casino license. In their Kong Kasino room on the website, gamblers can choose to play a variety of games belonging to several categories: slot games such as Korallrevet or Brennhett; board games; as well as video poker games.
Online Poker in Norway
There are no
Norwegian online poker sites, as poker played with money has been prohibited in Norway. With the amendments from 2014, however, possibilities are opened for the organization of poker games for humanitarian purposes. The Norsk Tipping website offers video poker games such as Joker Poker or Jacks or Better, but conventional live poker rooms are not present.
Online Lottery in Norway
Norsk Tipping, formed in 1948 as a state-owned company, is responsible for organizing the
online lottery in Norway. In accordance with the
Norwegian online lottery laws, Norsk Tipping offers a variety of lotto games for domestic players. The most popular among them include games such as Viking Lotto, Keno, Joker, instant games such as Flax, and the card games Tipping and Oddsen.
Online Bingo in Norway
Norsk Tipping offers the only
online bingo in Norway, as of May 2019. In the bingo room on their website, one can choose a variety of bingo games for playing such as Bingoria Vertshus, Bingoria Tivoli, Bingoria Sukkersmia, Bingoria Turbokart, and BingoriaGruva. In compliance with the
Norwegian online bingo laws, there are strict regulations for playing online bingo, which demand a mandatory registration and identification before playing on the site.
Online Sports Betting in Norway
The only
online sportsbook sites in Norway are governed by the Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. Sports betting in Norway is regulated with the
Totalisator Act whose last amendments were issued in 2010. The betting offer in the country is provided by Norsk Tipping and is quite limited in comparison with the world trends on the sportsbook sites. Norsk Rikstoto, established in 1982 by the Norwegian Trotting Association and the Norwegian Jockey Club, is responsible for offering horse race betting in the country.
Online DFS in Norway
Online DFS sites in Norway are legal, but not regulated. Even though it is a game played with money, it is closer to a game of skill than to a game of chance. This is why the market might open to foreign operators in the future.
