Norway

Norway’s gambling market is governed by a state monopoly model in which only two state-controlled entities may legally operate: Norsk Tipping (lotteries, sports betting, online casino, number games) and Norsk Rikstoto (horse-race betting). The regulator, Lotteritilsynet (the Norwegian Gambling Authority, under the Ministry of Culture and Equality), supervises both monopolists.

DNS blocking of unlicensed foreign gambling sites took effect on 1 January 2025, with the authority — not a court — deciding which sites internet providers must block; it issued its first formal blocking decisions against 57 sites on 24 March 2025 and had blocked 238 sites by 2026. Banks have been required since 2010 to block payments to/from foreign gambling companies, and the rules were tightened in 2019 to make clear that the ban also covers companies that carry out payment transactions on behalf of gambling operators.

The monopoly faced political pressure in 2025-2026 (the Conservative party has called for reform) but remained legally intact as of mid-2026. The legal gambling age is 18, with BankID authentication typical. Because no private/offshore operator can be licensed in any vertical, prediction-market platforms such as Polymarket are unauthorized and subject to the same blocking — classified prohibited.

Norway has a long history of strict gambling regulation. Online betting may legally be offered only by the two state-controlled operators, even though many Norwegians still gamble at unlicensed foreign sites every year. The government’s priority in Norway is to protect the state-backed monopoly and funnel players onto state-owned properties.

Betting Sites Norway

Legal Norwegian betting sites are few in number due to strict government controls over all forms of gambling throughout the country. Norsk Tipping has exclusive rights to the national lottery, online sports betting and online casino games while Norsk Rikstoto remains in charge of horse racing betting. The expressly legal gambling sites in Norway are those of Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, which hold the exclusive right to offer gambling that requires special public control because it carries high prizes, high turnover and a high risk of creating gambling problems, alongside the bingo and lottery operators licensed by Lotteritilsynet, which mostly run bingo and large lotteries.

As is often the case, what the law says and what people actually do are two entirely different things. The government attempts to keep all the action on Norsk-Tipping.no but Norwegians are known to visit foreign online betting sites, casinos and poker rooms in large numbers. Players themselves are not punished for visiting unlicensed gaming sites, but since 1 January 2025 the authority has ordered internet providers to block illegal gambling sites and banks must stop deposits and winnings to and from unlicensed companies.

Origins of State Gaming

Norway first established legal horse racing back in 1927 under the Totalisator Act. This paved the way for Norsk Rikstoto to handle all of the country’s horse race wagering. In 1992, the “Act Concerning Gaming Schemes etc.” provided Norsk Tipping the exclusive rights to the National Lottery, football betting and eventually online bookmaking and online casino games.

After the turn of the century, slot machines came to Norway in large numbers and became a hit among local gamblers. At one point, the number of slots operating in the country rivaled the number of slot gamblers. Slots were generally poorly regulated and seemed to pop up everywhere. Almost overnight, slot players in Norway were wagering billions.

Slots were regulated by the Lottery Act (PDF link) in 1995 and still the government took issue with the growth of problem gambling and the proliferation of slots across the country. The act only allowed charitable organizations to run slot machines, but did not prohibit private companies from organizing and running the slots and then sharing the profits.

In 2002, the government tried to restrict the expansion of slots throughout the country and proposed heavy restrictions to the machines in 2003. Companies making the most off the constantly-growing market fought these new restrictions mightily but to no avail. Slots were effectively banned from that day on.

Interactive video terminals (IVTs) were adopted by state monopoly providers to replace the loss of traditional slots. IVTs work in a similar manner to slots but with lower payout rates and tighter restrictions on play. Citizens are required to register special players’ cards with the government in order to access IVTs at all. Additionally, cards are linked to players’ bank accounts to keep track of expenditures and frequency of play to enforce strict limits on all players.

Unlicensed vs. Licensed Norway Betting Sites

The legal situation for online gambling in Norway is pretty simple; the activity is legal if it is offered by one of the two licensed Norwegian betting sites: Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. All other online gambling is prohibited.

Enforcement is pointed at operators, not players: looking up an unlicensed site is not itself unlawful, and the Norwegian government has yet to charge an individual player for placing bets online. Offshore operators are a different matter — the authority has so far blocked 238 sites because they are not allowed to offer gambling in Norway.

What officials have done is taken an approach similar to what the United States did with the UIGEA. Banks and payment processors are prohibited from facilitating transactions between unlicensed betting sites and Norwegian citizens.

Norway doubled down on those efforts by extending the payment-blocking ban in 2019 to companies that carry out payment transactions on behalf of gambling operators, and by banning the distribution of gambling TV adverts broadcast from abroad in 2021. Although Norway does not target individual players with its anti-gaming laws, it is clear lawmakers are insistent on shutting out all competition.

The demand for offshore betting sites in Norway remains strong despite the government’s efforts to shut down the industry. This continued interest is most likely the direct result of zero competition. The government-backed monopoly faces no legal competition. Norway's answer to offshore demand has been to tighten enforcement rather than open the market: the authority has so far blocked 238 sites because they are not allowed to offer gambling in Norway.

What Norwegians Are Betting On

Football is by far the most popular sport at online betting sites in Norway, far ahead of biathlon and cross-country skiing in viewership. There are several divisions of football in the country with the Tippeliagan, being the top flight division in Norwegian football. International football matches are always heavily bet-upon in addition to a variety of domestic matches between other domestic leagues. European leagues (especially the Champions League) also attract significant betting action from Norwegians.

Poker remains immensely popular in Norway with numerous well-known pros having come from the country. At one point, all forms of poker were deemed illegal in Norway. This didn’t stop anyone from playing online and in 2014, the government finally relented with the passage of a bill to allow private home games and tournaments. The bill went into effect in 2015 and the first legal, above-ground poker tournament was held in September of 2015.

Deposits and Withdrawals

Paying in and out at the two licensed Norwegian operators is straightforward; moving money to or from anyone else is not. Payment options are constrained, because Norwegian banks must stop stakes and winnings moving to and from gambling companies that are not licensed in Norway.

Future of Online Betting in Norway

Restrictions have in fact gone the other way: the Storting decided that illegal gambling sites would be blocked from 2025, and the monopoly remained legally intact through mid-2026 despite political pressure for reform.

Norway’s position is a bit different with its state-run online gambling monopoly, but even offering a few games puts them at odds with the EU and it’s support of fair competition. Although Norway is not a member of the EU, the country does try to maintain positive relations with the body.

Regulation and liberalization of the Norwegian gambling market would likely make the state more money in tax revenue and would allow the government to better control online gambling as licensed betting sites in Norway would have to adhere to strict regulations. Time will tell if lawmakers in Oslo decide to go this route.