Main provisions of gambling regulations in Norway
Over time, Norway has passed several laws and regulations relating to the operations of land-based and online casinos. These laws include The Gaming Act of 1992, The Lottery Act of 1995, and the old Totalisator Act. The primary purpose of these gambling laws and regulations in Norway is to create standards that casino games and businesses should follow to foster responsible gambling and prevent financial problems.
The Gaming Act
This law was passed in 1992 and granted the Norsk Tipping AS, the main regulating body for online casinos, the sole right to conduct lottery and football betting activities, subject only to the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs.
The Lottery Act
The Lottery Act of 1995 is an extensive law that defines and specifies various real money and lottery games. This Act allows individuals and private organizations to organize gambling events for charity or social purposes only.
The Totalisator Act
This is the oldest standing statue in Norway. Passed in 1927, this Act grants the Norsk Rikstoto the exclusive rights to offer horse race betting services and is under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Only persons 18 years and older can play real money games or place bets in Norway. In 2021, the legislation also prevented the advertisement of foreign gambling products. However, in the case of Norwegian gambling businesses that operate in foreign countries, the regulation only allows for advertising on foreign magazines and TV channels.
The Norwegian Gambling Authority has a risk-based strategy, concentrating its resources on problems and gambling establishments that might pose the most significant risk. They conduct audits to ensure that gaming operators follow set guidelines and take action against illegal gaming, pyramid schemes, and any instances where they discover operators are not abiding by the regulations and rules.
In the case of shortcomings, the concerned parties are notified. If required, the authorities will take enforcement action using regulatory authority against gaming operators and other parties that offer or promote such gambling activities.