🇳🇴For operators · Tax, marketing & compliance
Norway gambling market for operators: state monopoly
Online casino, betting and lotteries are legal in Norway only with Norsk Tipping, and horse betting only with Norsk Rikstoto, the two exclusive-rights providers. A private operator cannot get a permit, and Lotteritilsynet blocks unlicensed sites by DNS and stops payments to them.
Operator taxNoneLicence feeNoneLicence routeNoneFine for breach10%Annual GGR12B NOKActive licensees~2
Product by product
No private operator can hold a licence: offering gambling aimed at the Norwegian market without a permit is banned (Act § 4), and the only online providers are Norsk Tipping AS and Stiftelsen Norsk Rikstoto.| Product | Status | Licensed by | Tax | Key restriction | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports betting (esports included) | State monopoly | Norsk Tipping AS only, by statute; no private licence | None | Any other provider needs a permit that does not exist; payment mediation and marketing are banned and sites are DNS-blocked. A Maltese or other EEA licence gives no right to serve Norway | Unlicensed operators: banned in every channel, including influencers and sponsorship |
| Online casino and slots | State monopoly | Norsk Tipping AS only (KongKasino, Multix); no private licence | None | No permit class exists, and offering casino to Norwegians is punishable. As of 6 November 2026, 238 sites are DNS-blocked, and banks and payment firms must stop deposits and payouts | Unlicensed operators: banned. Norsk Tipping may not market KongKasino or Bingoria at all |
| Poker | Banned | No online poker permit exists | None | Only the national championship has a permit; a Ministry hearing of 29 September 2026 proposes online poker for Norsk Tipping (not law) | — |
| Lottery and bingo | State monopoly | Norsk Tipping AS; non-profit permits for the rest (Pantelotteriet and Postkodelotteriet run the big lotteries) | None | Non-profit lotteries up to NOK 100m cannot run on a digital platform; tickets may be ordered and paid online | — |
| Horse racing betting | State monopoly | Stiftelsen Norsk Rikstoto, by the King's grant | None | Exclusive right for ten years at a time; the surplus must go to horse-sport organisations | — |
| Betting exchanges, crypto casinos and prediction markets | Banned | No licence category | — | Any other gambling aimed at the Norwegian market needs a permit that does not exist | — |
Coming up29 Nov 2026Consultation deadline
Will Norway allow online poker, and who will run it?
A Ministry hearing of 29 September 2026 proposes to let Norsk Tipping offer online poker, to add deviation reporting for the largest market actors and to make small changes to Belago bingo payouts. The consultation deadline is 29 November 2026, and the Ministry says the regulation should take effect immediately after so that Norsk Tipping can start building online poker. This is not law. A separate hearing of 12 October 2026, with a deadline of 12 January 2027, covers loot boxes, simulated gambling and skin gambling in video games. None of the proposals would replace the exclusive-rights model.
Ministry hearing on the Gambling Regulation ↗Poker in Norway (Lotteritilsynet) ↗
Regulator and player protection in Norway
Regulator
Application authority and enforcement body
Self-exclusion scheme
Norsk Tipping Self-Exclusion
How players exclude themselves; what it covers is in the player guide
Mandatory RG controls
Player sets loss limits per day and per month within the regulation's maxima, NOK 20,000 a month in total at Norsk Tipping (pengespillforskriften §§ 26-28); no weekly limit; not required for Lotto, Vikinglotto and the other games in § 28 (1)
The limit duty the law sets; deposit limits and reality checks are not mandated as such
Heads-up for operators
4 items · last change 6 Nov 2026
Pending, not law (as of 6 November 2026): a Ministry hearing of 29 September 2026 proposes to let Norsk Tipping offer online poker (consultation deadline 29 November 2026); a hearing of 12 October 2026 (deadline 12 January 2027) on Lotteritilsynet's report on gambling-like elements in video games, such as loot boxes; and a Storting members' proposal (Dokument 8:316 S) to allow digital lotteries for voluntary organisations is not finally treated. None would replace the exclusive-rights model.
Hearing: gambling-like elements in video games
A hearing on Lotteritilsynet's report on loot boxes, simulated gambling and skin gambling runs to 12 January 2027. Not law.
Source: 1
Hearing: Norsk Tipping online poker
The Ministry proposes to let Norsk Tipping offer online poker (consultation deadline 29 November 2026). Not law.
Source: 2
Show all 4Show fewer
Action plan against problem gambling 2026-2029
The government's plan was published on 27 March 2026; Lotteritilsynet recorded that the draft was to contain no regulatory measures.
Source: 3
Not yet in force: drafts, laws adopted without a start date, and sections of the law still to be commenced. An item moves to the timeline below on the day it takes effect.
Getting licensed: no online licence route
Why there is no online licence, and what exists instead, are in the licence guide
No private operator can be licensed online. The legal basis, what the law allows instead and what an operator or supplier can do are set out there.Read the licence guide
Gambling tax and fees in Norway
Detail
No gambling tax is levied on revenue, turnover or stakes. A private operator cannot hold a permit, so no operator tax is set for it.
Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto pay no gambling tax either: their surplus goes to public causes (pengespilloven §§ 12, 14). The only charge on them is the regulator's fee and sector levy (§ 28).
Which foreign licences Norway accepts
Norway recognises none of these 8 foreign licences.
BannedMalta (MGA)
Offering services is illegal. MGA-licensed operators are subject to DNS blocking, payment blocking, and potential criminal liability.
United Kingdom (UKGC)
UKGC-licensed operators are prohibited from targeting the Norwegian market and are subject to DNS and payment blocking.
Gibraltar (GRA) · Anjouan (AGB)
Gibraltar-licensed operators are considered illegal and are subject to blocking measures.
Isle of Man (GSC)
GSC licences have no legal standing in Norway; operators are subject to blocking.
Alderney (AGCC)
Services from AGCC-licensed operators are illegal in Norway and subject to blocking.
Curaçao (CGB)
Considered illegal offshore operators and are a primary target for DNS and payment blocking measures by the Norwegian authorities.
Kahnawake (KGC)
KGC licences are not recognized; operators are illegal and subject to blocking.
Bonus rules: welcome bonuses banned
Bonuses bannedInducement ads: Banned
Pengespillforskriften § 11 forbids VIP programmes, bonus or free games and similar personal financial incentives to promote participation in gambling, for every provider. Marketing gambling not permitted in Norway is banned outright (pengespilloven § 6 (2) (a)).
What the player can claim
- Welcome bonus
- Banned
- VIP schemes
- Banned
- Loyalty schemes
- Restricted
- Cashback
- Restricted
- Norsk Tipping's KongKasino and Bingoria, and games on terminals (except games with a § 54 permit), may not be marketed at all (pengespillforskriften § 18).
The gambling regulation bans VIP programmes, bonus or free games "or similar personal financial incentives" used to get you to gamble. It does not name loyalty schemes, cashback, free bets or free spins: such an offer is banned when it is a personal financial incentive to play.
What the operator can advertise
- Channels off-limits
- All channels, for gambling not permitted in Norway
- Television (the lawful providers within §§ 14-19)
- Radio
- Outdoor, stadium and kit advertising
- Websites, blogs and social media, influencer content
- SMS, e-mail and messaging
- Penalties
A material or repeated breach of the marketing ban (§ 6 (2)) can bring a violation fine of up to 10% of the company's Norwegian turnover the year before, up to 1 G for a private person (§ 36; forskrift § 100), and coercive fines with no statutory cap (§ 33).
Criminal penalty: a fine or up to one year in prison, up to three years for gross breaches (pengespilloven § 37).
Recent advertising-violation cases
| Date | Operator | Violation | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | The company behind Schpell and two Norwegian companies | Influencer-style live-stream marketing of unlicensed gambling on Twitch, Kick and YouTube. | Lost their appeals to Lotterinemnda; notified of coercive fines of NOK 250,000 and NOK 50,000 a day. | Lotteritilsynet news, 10 Dec 2024: Schpell and Baris Entertainment lost the appeal |
| 15 Sep 2022 | Trannel International Limited (owner of Unibet) | Offering and marketing gambling aimed at Norway without a permit. | Coercive fine of NOK 1.2 million a day (decision 15 September 2022, started 22 November 2022). | Lotteritilsynet news: coercive fine of NOK 1.2 million a day to the owner of Unibet |
| 25 May 2021 | SEO-Butler | Marketing and mediation of unlicensed gambling. | Coercive fine of NOK 2,000 a day from 25 May 2021 (stop order 7 December 2020). | Lotteritilsynet news, 12 May 2021: coercive fine to SEO-Butler |
Advertising: limited
Marketing gambling that is not permitted in Norway is banned, and so is helping to market it (pengespilloven § 6 (2) (a)); for a private operator, which can never hold a permit, that is every advert aimed at Norwegians. The lawful providers, Norsk Tipping, Norsk Rikstoto and permit holders, may market only as far as necessary (§ 6 (1); pengespillforskriften §§ 14-19): no bonuses, free games or VIP offers (§ 11), an age limit and Hjelpelinjen contact (§ 15), no under-18s (§ 17), and no marketing at all of Norsk Tipping's KongKasino and Bingoria or of terminal games (§ 18). Since 1 January 2021 Medietilsynet can order TV distributors to block unlawful gambling advertising (kringkastingsloven § 4-7).
| Channel | Status | Vertical & Platform Split (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads | Licensed operators only | Search adverts for gambling not permitted in Norway are banned, and so is helping to place them (pengespilloven § 6 (2) (a)); Lotteritilsynet lists adverts on websites as illegal marketing of foreign gambling. Lawful providers may use it within pengespillforskriften §§ 14-19 (necessity, age limit and Hjelpelinjen contact, no bonuses or free games, no under-18s). Google's own certification rules are not covered by the report and were not read.456 |
| App Store Publishing | Restricted | Publishing an app is not advertising, but an app that offers gambling aimed at Norway without a permit breaches the ban in pengespilloven § 4. Lotteritilsynet reports dialogue with Meta and Apple to stop illegal advertising; the stores' own policies are not covered by the report.456 |
| Google/Apple App Store Ads | Restricted | Promoting a gambling app is marketing: banned for gambling not permitted in Norway (pengespilloven § 6 (2) (a)), and open to the lawful providers only within pengespillforskriften §§ 14-19, with the § 18 ban on marketing KongKasino, Bingoria and terminal games.45 |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Restricted | Unlicensed operators: banned, including influencer and ambassador content on social media (Lotteritilsynet; Lotterinemnda upheld stop orders in December 2024). Lawful providers may advertise within §§ 14-19. Providers of video-sharing platforms must take appropriate measures so that advertising arranged by others complies with pengespilloven § 6 (kringkastingsloven § 5 A-6, in force 1 May 2025). Lotteritilsynet reports supervision and dialogue with Meta; Meta's own permission process is not covered by the report.45789 |
| TV & Radio | Restricted | Lawful providers may advertise on TV within pengespillforskriften §§ 14-19, except that KongKasino, Bingoria and terminal games may not be marketed at all (§ 18). Advertising for unlicensed gambling is unlawful (pengespilloven § 6 (2) (a)). Since 1 January 2021 Medietilsynet may order network owners to prevent access to it on TV and on-demand services (kringkastingsloven § 4-7); on 5 April 2022 it ordered Telenor, Telia, Altibox, RiksTV and Allente to stop ads from Unibet, Betsson, Nordicbet and Betsafe on four Discovery channels, with a deadline of 15 August 2022. Radio is outside § 4-7; Lotteritilsynet handles unlawful radio advertising itself. No watershed applies.456710 |
| Sponsorships | Restricted | No rule in the Act or the regulation is specific to sponsorship: it is marketing and falls under the same necessity, content and target rules (pengespilloven § 6; pengespillforskriften §§ 14-19). For unlicensed operators, Lotteritilsynet's view is that a sponsorship deal can breach the gambling rules, depending on what the club or organisation gives in return, and it lists advertising on kit and in stadiums as illegal marketing of foreign gambling.45611 |
| Digital OOH | Restricted | Unlicensed operators: banned; Lotteritilsynet lists stadium advertising and advertising on kit and boards in Norway as illegal. Lawful providers: outdoor advertising is not separately regulated, so the general limits in pengespilloven § 6 (1) and pengespillforskriften §§ 14-19 apply, with the § 18 (2) ban on marketing terminal games.456 |
Channel rules for Norway reflect each platform's published policy and the sources numbered in each row (listed under Methodology & sources). Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching.
How Norway enforces against unlicensed operators
Lotteritilsynet blocks unlicensed gambling sites by DNS (238 sites run by 72 companies as of 6 November 2026), orders banks and payment firms to stop payments to and from them, and sets coercive fines on operators and promoters.
- DNS blocking under pengespilloven § 32 a, in force 1 January 2025: first order 24 March 2025 (57 sites, 23 companies); 238 sites in force as of 6 November 2026 (the page says 72 companies, the annual report 71).
- Payment blocking: pengespilloven § 5 and pengespillforskriften §§ 96-98; Lotteritilsynet's published decisions to banks run from 29 March 2017 to 19 August 2026.
- Coercive fines: NOK 1.198 million a day against the owner of Unibet and Maria Casino (decision 15 September 2022, started 22 November 2022); NOK 2,000 a day against the affiliate SEO-Butler from 25 May 2021.
Enforcement cases in Norway: 5 recent
Material regulator actions, court rulings, and high-profile fines from 2016–2026 against operators serving Norway. Each entry includes the technical failure and a one-line read-across for other operators in the market.
- January 2026
Norsk Rikstoto
RGFine NOK 6M806 customers played over their loss limits between December 2022 and September 2025.
Read-across: This signals the regulator's increasing focus on responsible gambling compliance for monopoly operators and sets a precedent for future audits and enforcement.
- September 2025
Norsk Tipping
OtherFine NOK 46MAn error in the draw base of Eurojackpot extra draws and Lotto super draws had run since 2015-2016.
Read-across: This substantial fine against the state-owned monopoly demonstrates that even legal operators face significant penalties for technical and fairness failures.
- April 2025
Various Unlicensed Operators
Grey-MarketDNS BlockingThe first DNS blocking order (24 March 2025, announced 1 April 2025) covered 57 sites run by 23 companies.
Read-across: DNS blocking creates a significant operational hurdle for unlicensed operators and limits their ability to reach Norwegian consumers directly.
- September 2022
Trannel International Limited (owner of Unibet)
Grey-MarketCoercive fine NOK 1,198,250 a dayThe owner of Unibet and Maria Casino kept offering gambling aimed at Norway after the stop order. Decision of 15 September 2022, capped at the estimated annual gross profit of about NOK 437 million, started 22 November 2022.
Read-across: This landmark daily fine signals a significant escalation in enforcement and shows high financial risk for other grey-market operators targeting Norway.
- March 2022
BML Group (Betsson)
Grey-MarketStop order and notice of coercive fineLotteritilsynet ordered BML Group Ltd (Betsson, Betsafe, Nordicbet) to stop offering gambling in Norway and notified a coercive fine (stop order of 4 March 2022).
Read-across: This action against another major operator reinforces the regulator's commitment to enforcing its monopoly and indicates a low tolerance for any unlicensed activity.
Market size: 12B NOK (2023)
Gross gaming revenue in Norway is approximately 12 billion NOK annually. The most popular form of gambling is Sports betting. A culturally distinctive product in this market is Norsk Tipping (sports/casino/lottery) & Norsk Rikstoto (horse racing).
GGR figure17
Licensed operators: ~2
As of 10 Nov 2026, approximately 2 operators hold an active licence in Norway. Size your entry against this base before committing capital.
Notable licensed operators
Norsk Rikstoto
Traps operators hit in Norway
Specific operational risks that have caught new entrants in this market. Each item is country-specific. Generic gambling-ops issues (KYC, RG tools) are not included unless they have a local twist.
DNS and payment blocking follow the operator
A site offering gambling aimed at Norway without a permit can be DNS-blocked (§ 32 a) and its payments stopped (§ 5; pengespillforskriften §§ 96-98), including card payments with the gambling merchant code and intermediaries working for the operator. The blocked list has grown in rounds of 57, 47 and 134 sites, 238 as of 6 November 2026.
Advertising and marketing ban reaches promoters and broadcasters
Marketing gambling not permitted in Norway, or helping to market it, is banned (pengespilloven § 6 (2) (a)); Lotteritilsynet names influencers, ambassadors, affiliates and ad agencies as covered. Since 1 January 2021 Medietilsynet can order TV distributors to block such advertising (kringkastingsloven § 4-7); it did so on 5 April 2022 against Telenor, Telia, Altibox, RiksTV and Allente.
Coercive and violation fines on the owner of the brand
Coercive fines have no statutory cap (§ 33); the violation fine is up to 10% of the company's Norwegian turnover the year before (§ 36), and the criminal penalty is a fine or up to one year in prison, up to three years for gross breaches (§ 37). The owner of Unibet and Maria Casino was set a coercive fine of NOK 1.198 million a day, capped at about NOK 437 million.
Timeline: rules in force
- January 1, 2025
DNS blocking in force
Section 32 a, added by lov 14 May 2024 nr 22, lets Lotteritilsynet order internet providers to DNS-block sites that offer gambling aimed at Norway without a permit. The first order was on 24 March 2025.
Source: 20
- January 1, 2023
Gambling Act in force
The Gambling Act (pengespilloven, LOV-2022-03-18-12) replaced the 1927 totalisator act, the 1992 gambling act and the 1995 lotteries act and sets the exclusive-rights model.
Source: 5
- January 1, 2021
Medietilsynet may block unlawful gambling advertising on TV
Kringkastingsloven § 4-7 lets Medietilsynet order network owners to prevent access to unlawful gambling advertising on TV and on-demand services.
Source: 19
- March 2017
First published payment-blocking decisions
The payment-mediation ban now stands in pengespilloven § 5 and pengespillforskriften §§ 96-98. Lotteritilsynet's published decisions to banks run from 29 March 2017 to 19 August 2026.
Source: 13
- 1992
Gambling Act of 1992
One of three laws (with the 1927 totalisator act and the 1995 lotteries act) that the Gambling Act replaced on 1 January 2023 (§ 38).
Source: 5
Operator myths vs reality in Norway
Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.
- MythA licence from Malta (MGA) or Curaçao allows us to legally accept Norwegian players under EEA principles.Reality
Lotteritilsynet's position is that it does not: a company established in one EEA state has no right to offer its games freely in another, and the Act applies to anything directed at the Norwegian market (pengespilloven §§ 3 (3), 4). Lotterinemnda, Oslo tingrett (20 June 2022) and Borgarting lagmannsrett (1 June 2023) held the stop orders valid and the exclusive-rights model compatible with EEA law.
- MythThe Norwegian regulator only focuses on Norsk Tipping and cannot stop foreign companies.Reality
Lotteritilsynet can order a site to stop (§ 32), set coercive fines (§ 33), impose a violation fine of up to 10% of Norwegian turnover (§ 36) and, since 1 January 2025, order DNS blocking (§ 32 a). It set a coercive fine of NOK 1.198 million a day against the owner of Unibet and Maria Casino.
- MythPayment blocking is easy to circumvent with e-wallets.Reality
The duty covers payment intermediaries working for unlicensed operators (pengespillforskriften § 96 (2)), mediating such payments is itself banned (pengespilloven § 5), and Lotteritilsynet can order a firm to reject transactions by account number or company name (§ 97); its decisions run from 29 March 2017.
Markets that work like Norway
Compared on what our records hold for each country: whether online casino, betting, poker and lottery are licensed, state-run or banned, the licensing model, what the operator tax is levied on and its band, how most advertising channels are treated, and how foreign licences are treated. A point we hold for only one of the two countries counts for nothing.
- FinlandIn review
Online casino, betting and lottery state-run; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted.
- TurkeyChecked
Betting and lottery state-run; poker banned; most ad channels restricted; foreign licences mostly banned.
- PolandChecked
Online casino and lottery state-run; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted.
- AustriaChecked
Online casino state-run; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted.
- IsraelChecked
Poker banned; state monopoly; most ad channels restricted; foreign licences mostly banned.
Methodology & sources
The research behind our Norway coverage
Counted across every Norway page, not this page alone.
compiled 6 Nov 2026
12
official websites
regulators, legislatures, courts
124
pages cited
specific documents, not homepages
246
sourced data points
each traced to the instrument
Across every Norway page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.
The same research as a 86-page Norway report: every one of the 201 checklist questions, each answer cited to the instrument behind it.
Request the Norway reportOur Deep AI Scan took Norway through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 121 official documents, read on 6 Nov 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is due to go to our compliance team. Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.
Documents cited on this page
- 1Regjeringen.no: hearing on gambling-like elements in video games
- 2Regjeringen.no: hearing on changes to the gambling regulation (29 Sep 2026)
- 3Lotteritilsynet: input to the coming action plan against problem gambling
- 4Pengespillforskriften (Gambling Regulation), FOR-2022-11-17-1978 (Lovdata)
- 5Pengespilloven (Gambling Act), LOV-2022-03-18-12 (Lovdata)
- 6Lotteritilsynet: much of the gambling advertising you see is illegal
- 7Kringkastingsloven (Broadcasting Act), s 4-7 (Lovdata)
- 8Lotteritilsynet: information to athletes and influencers
- 9Lotteritilsynet news, 10 Dec 2024: Schpell and Baris Entertainment lost the appeal
- 10Lotteritilsynet: TV distributors ordered to stop gambling advertising
- 11Lotteritilsynet news, 8 May 2020: sponsorship can breach the gambling rules
- 12Lotteritilsynet: blocking of illegal gambling sites
- 13Lotteritilsynet: decisions to Norwegian banks on payment mediation
- 14Lotteritilsynet: annual report 2025
- 15Lotteritilsynet news: coercive fine of NOK 1.2 million a day to the owner of Unibet
- 16Lotteritilsynet news, 12 May 2021: coercive fine to SEO-Butler
- 17Lotteritilsynet: regulated market net turnover (GGR) NOK 12.0 billion in 2023 on stakes of NOK 59.2 billion; unregulated foreign sites estimated at NOK 1.4-1.9 billion (page updated 28 March 2025)
- 18Lotteritilsynet: DNS blocking order of 19 Feb 2026
- 19Kringkastingsloven (Broadcasting Act), § 4-7 (Lovdata)
- 20Lov 14 May 2024 nr 22: new § 32 a (DNS blocking)
- 21Lotteritilsynet news: Lotterinemnda upholds the stop order
- 22Oslo tingrett, judgment 20.06.2022 (Trannel International Ltd v. the State)
- 23Borgarting lagmannsrett, judgment 01.06.2023 (Trannel International Ltd)
The 10 documents this page relies on most
- Pengespillforskriften (Forskrift om pengespill), FOR-2022-11-17-1978Regulator
- Pengespilloven (Lov om pengespill), LOV-2022-03-18-12Regulator
- Hvitvaskingsforskriften (AML Regulation), FOR-2018-09-14-1324Law
- Hvitvaskingsloven (Anti-Money Laundering Act), LOV-2018-06-01-23Law
- Pengespillregisteret (register of permits and approvals, pengespilloven § 27)Law
- Lov om skatt av formue og inntekt (skatteloven), § 5-50 Tilfeldig inntektLaw
- Lotteritilsynet: Mye av pengespillreklamen du ser er ulovligRegulator
- Lotteritilsynet: Slik blir du godkjent som medhjelparRegulator
- Kringkastingsloven (Broadcasting Act), LOV-1992-12-04-127, § 4-7Law
- Lotteritilsynet: Godkjenning av frivillige organisasjoner som skal tilby eller motta overskudd fra pengespillRegulator
Also cited on this page
121 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.
Looking for the player guide?
For consumer-facing information about gambling in Norway (tax on winnings, where to play legally, self-exclusion options), see the Norway player guide.
Disclaimer. This page reflects the law as we understood it on 10 Nov 2026. Rules change: always check the current position with The Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority (Lotteri- og stiftelsestilsynet). We are not a legal adviser.