Norway already has several laws restricting betting, casino games and iGaming in the country. The government is now presenting a new bill that will crack down on the unlicensed online gaming market with a new gaming law.

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The aim of the new legislation

The new legislation replaces the current law on gambling by uniting the country’s current laws, which include the Lottery Act, the Gambling Act and the Totalizator Act. At the same time, it has been made clear that the market monopoly for online games that Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto share will be maintained by strengthening the model for exclusive rights.

The government will achieve this by, among other things, imposing fines on other operators who try to offer gambling in Norway.

The new law was first proposed in June 2020, and a few months later the government notified the EU Commission of the proposal in August of the same year.

The changes to be made

Minister of Culture and Gender Equality Abid Raja has been responsible for notifying the law to the Norwegian people and has explained that the law will specifically affect those operators who are not allowed to offer gambling in Norway. This means that the online casinos that follow Norwegian law and operate with a legal license are not in danger of being penalized.

Abid Raja further says that he is happy to finally be able to present the new law on gambling, which is a milestone in the government’s work to prevent gambling problems and ensure responsible gambling.

The Norwegian government has grown tired of foreign gaming companies that choose not to respect the current Norwegian law, and therefore do not operate with proper liability measures. Raja therefore hopes that the new law can help to give the Norwegian Lotteries Authority new important tools for detecting, reacting to and sanctioning offenses related to gambling.

What will the new law have to say in practice?

Violation of the ban that will be imposed could lead to punishment, the government reports.

Other things we can notice in the future is that all marketing of gambling aimed at children will be punishable. A general ban on the use of credit cards on gaming sites to promote responsible gaming habits also applies.

Every operator is also obliged and has the responsibility to introduce accountability measures. All marketing to players who have chosen to unsubscribe or block themselves from the sites due to gambling addiction will be punishable. Marketing must also not step over any boundaries and go beyond what is “necessary” to attract players to their legal gaming offerings.

Finally, Raja adds that the gaming area in Norway is constantly evolving. The government has deliberately worked for many years with gambling, and they are seeing results.

Source: Plato Data Intelligence