Norway gambling licence: no online licence
Norway has no licence route for a private operator of any commercial gambling product. The games that need special public control are reserved by statute to Norsk Tipping AS and, for horse betting, to Stiftelsen Norsk Rikstoto, and offering gambling aimed at the Norwegian market without a permit is prohibited whatever the operator’s home state (pengespilloven §§ 4, 10, 14).
- 1Accept that no commercial route existsGames needing special public control belong to Norsk Tipping and, for horse betting, Norsk Rikstoto. A foreign licence does not open the market.No licence
- 2Know what happens if you serve Norway anywayDNS blocking, a payment ban, coercive fines and a violation fine of up to 10% of Norwegian turnover.238 sites blocked
- 3Helper route for non-profit permit holdersA business that runs bingo, lotteries or ship gambling for a permit holder needs a helper approval.NOK 20,000
- 4Supplier route: the exclusive-rights providersSupply Norsk Tipping or Norsk Rikstoto through their procurement. No supplier licence is required.Procurement
- 5Appeal to LotterinemndaA decision of Lotteritilsynet is appealed through the authority to the appeal board.3 weeks
- A decision on which route you mean: there is no commercial licence, only the helper approval and the supply of the exclusive-rights providers
- For a helper: registration in the Enhetsregisteret, proof of no bankruptcy proceedings and routines for responsible operation
- Fit management and beneficial owners, with police certificates
- A non-profit permit holder to work for
- For a supplier: a contract with Norsk Tipping or Norsk Rikstoto
What exists instead is pre-approval and permits for non-profit organisations and local broadcasters, and one approval for the helper that runs their games. Lotteritilsynet backs the ban with DNS blocking, a payment ban and coercive fines. This guide sets out why there is no route, what exists instead and what a supplier can do, as of 6 November 2026.
This guide covers getting licensed. For running the business, tax, advertising, bonus rules, payments and enforcement, see the Norway operator overview; for whether it is legal and safe to play, the Norway player guide.
Why no private operator can be licensed
The Act gives the games that need special public control to two exclusive-rights providers and prohibits everyone else from offering gambling aimed at the Norwegian market without a permit. The permits it does provide go to non-profit organisations, local broadcasters and their helpers, not to commercial operators.
| Product | Who may offer it | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Number games, betting on sports and other competitions, internet gambling with a draw time the player chooses, games with prizes above NOK 2 million | Norsk Tipping AS, a state-owned company, by statute; the Regulation lists 18 named games | Act §§ 10-11; Regulation § 20 |
| Gambling tied to physical horse events or competitions | Stiftelsen Norsk Rikstoto; the right is granted by the King for ten years at a time | Act § 14; Regulation § 21 |
| Lotteries, bingo, big lotteries, the poker championship, ship gambling | Pre-approved non-profit organisations, local broadcasters and shipping companies, with permits from Lotteritilsynet | Act §§ 18-21; Regulation Part III |
| Small non-profit games up to NOK 200,000 turnover a calendar year | Non-profit organisations, without a permit; local or regional only, not on digital platforms, no helper | Act § 22 |
| Everything else aimed at the Norwegian market, including assisting an offer | Nobody: prohibited | Act § 4 |
- Only two exclusive-rights providers can exist: Norsk Tipping AS, whose shares are not tradable (Act § 11), and one horse-betting provider appointed by the King (Act § 14).
- No online poker permit exists. Lotteritilsynet states that no actor may offer poker with stake and prize online in Norway.
- The Act requires a permit under the Act itself, and it creates no recognition of a foreign licence, supplier or operator (Act § 4).
- Online casino, slots, live casino, betting exchanges, prediction markets and sweepstakes-style games have no licence category. Offering them to players in Norway is within the ban.
- A Ministry hearing of 29 September 2026 proposes to let Norsk Tipping offer online poker, with a consultation deadline of 29 November 2026. None of the pending proposals would replace the exclusive-rights model.
Laws that apply
- Pengespilloven (Gambling Act), LOV-2022-03-18-12, in force since 1 January 2023; last change in force by lov 6 December 2024 nr 74; § 32 a (DNS blocking) added by lov 14 May 2024 nr 22
- Pengespillforskriften (Gambling Regulation), FOR-2022-11-17-1978, last changed by FOR-2026-09-08-1749 in force 8 September 2026
- Forskrift om fordeling av overskuddet fra pengespill på hest (horse-betting surplus), FOR-2023-03-13-327
- Hvitvaskingsloven (Anti-Money Laundering Act), LOV-2018-06-01-23, and Hvitvaskingsforskriften, FOR-2018-09-14-1324
- Kringkastingsloven (Broadcasting Act), LOV-1992-12-04-127, § 4-7 (orders against television and on-demand gambling advertising)
- Anskaffelsesloven (Public Procurement Act), LOV-2016-06-17-73, for contracts with Norsk Tipping
What exists instead of a licence
Lotteritilsynet grants pre-approvals, permits and one helper approval. They are mostly land-based or lottery permits and are not online casino or betting licences. The fees are fixed amounts in the Regulation.
| Route | Who can hold it | Fee | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-approval of an organisation or broadcaster | A non-profit organisation in the Frivillighetsregisteret, or a local broadcaster | 2,000 | Regulation §§ 37-39, § 90 |
| Helper (medhjelper) approval | An individual or business that runs games for a permit holder for a payment | 20,000 | Act § 21; Regulation § 40, § 90 (2) |
| Lottery permit | A pre-approved organisation; lotteries up to NOK 100m, not run on a digital platform | 3,000 (6,000 with scratch cards), plus 300 for each draw Lotteritilsynet carries out | Regulation § 43, § 46 (1), § 91 |
| Big lottery | Three permits for nine years, 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2035; allocated by a draw if more qualify | 30,000 to apply, 20,000 per started year | Regulation §§ 54-55, § 92 |
| Poker championship | One permit advertised every five years (2026-2030); allocated by a draw | 10,000 to apply, 60,000 per started year | Regulation §§ 83-87, § 95 |
| Bingo | Main-game permit or local radio and television bingo; databingo with at most 30 terminals per hall | 1,600 per calendar year; 33 per day per hall for databingo; 1,000 to approve a hall | Regulation §§ 59-61, § 94 |
| Ship gambling | A shipping company, for games on board; up to three years | 5,000 per table and 1,500 per terminal for each year begun | Regulation § 76, § 93 |
- The big lotteries are Pantelotteriet, for the Red Cross, and Postkodelotteriet, for 23 organisations.
- A bingo permit from 1 January needs an application by 15 October of the year before. Big-lottery and poker-championship applications are due by 1 September the year before the period starts (Regulation § 54 (4), § 60 (6), § 83 (2)).
- Pre-approvals, lottery permits and helper approvals have no numerical cap in the Regulation. Neither the Act nor the Regulation sets a processing time.
- Pre-approval is refused where, for example, the organisation is not in the Frivillighetsregisteret, volunteer work is not an important part of its activity, it exists for a closed circle, or it is run by or for the public sector (Regulation § 38).
- Lotterinemnda hears appeals against Lotteritilsynet’s decisions under the Act. A complaint is filed with Lotteritilsynet within three weeks of receiving the decision. The result of a draw between qualified applicants cannot be appealed.
- Lotteritilsynet keeps the public register of permits and approvals, pengespillregisteret (Act § 27). As of 6 November 2026 it shows the two exclusive-rights providers, 42 active helper approvals and 312 revoked helper approvals.
- A permit or approval can be made conditional or revoked for up to two years after repeated or material breaches (Act § 34).
The helper approval: the one supplier-type route
There is no licence for a game developer, platform provider or aggregator. The nearest category is the helper (medhjelper): a person or business that runs games for a permit holder, for a share of income or surplus or another payment. A helper is not a supplier to the exclusive-rights providers.
- Conditions: fit to offer gambling under Act § 9, financially sound, registered in the Enhetsregisteret, not in bankruptcy proceedings, with routines for responsible operation and for paying the organisations their share (Regulation § 40 (1)).
- A foreign helper is contemplated. Lotteritilsynet decides what documentation it must give to show the conditions are met (Regulation § 40 (2)). No local office or local representative is required.
- The people in management, and the beneficial owners of a helper, must be fit and present a police certificate (Act § 9).
- A helper that arranges games under Act § 21 is treated as the gambling provider (Regulation § 40 (3)) and is an obliged entity under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. It keeps accounts under the Accounting Act, files annual accounts and is audited (Regulation § 42 (2)).
- Lotteritilsynet’s service declaration gives a general handling time of up to one month. It is not a promised approval time, and the Regulation sets none.
- Helpers run bingo halls, lotteries, ship gambling and the national poker championship. A change of helper in a bingo hall needs Lotteritilsynet’s permit (Regulation § 70).
- For a big lottery the helper must show, through approval by an authorised test institute in the EEA, that the game is protected against misuse and manipulation, and must give satisfactory security for prizes (Regulation § 56 (3)).
How the ban is enforced
Lotteritilsynet and Medietilsynet use several tools together. The ban binds whoever offers, assists in offering or markets the games; it does not penalise the player.
| Tool | Basis | Position |
|---|---|---|
| DNS blocking | Act § 32 a, in force 1 January 2025; Regulation § 99a from 8 September 2026 | 238 sites blocked, run by 72 companies. A notice of 62 further sites was sent on 17 September 2026; it is a prior notice, not an order. |
| Payment ban | Act § 5; Regulation §§ 96-98 | Banks and payment firms must stop deposits and payouts for gambling without a Norwegian permit, including card payments with the gambling merchant code. Published decisions run from 29 March 2017 to 19 August 2026. |
| Stop order and coercive fine | Act §§ 32-33 | An order to correct or close, backed by a coercive fine (tvangsmulkt) with no statutory cap. |
| Violation fine | Act § 36; Regulation § 100 | Up to 10% of Norwegian turnover in the year before the fine (after prizes paid, for gaming companies); a private person up to 1 G (NOK 136,549 from 1 May 2026). |
| Criminal penalty | Act § 37 | Fine or prison up to one year for a material intentional or grossly negligent breach of the ban on offering or marketing; up to three years for a grave breach. |
| Television and on-demand advertising | Broadcasting Act § 4-7 | Medietilsynet can order network owners to block advertising. On 5 April 2022 it did so against Telenor, Telia, Altibox, RiksTV and Allente over ads for Unibet, Betsson, Nordicbet and Betsafe on Discovery channels. |
- The ban on marketing games not allowed under the Act (Act § 6 (2) (a)) reaches affiliates, casino portals, advertising agencies, influencers, spokespersons and ambassadors. An affiliate marketer received a coercive fine of NOK 2,000 a day from 25 May 2021 after ignoring a stop order.
- Directors and employees can be personally liable: the violation fine can be imposed on the person who breaches the provisions, and the criminal offence in § 37 reaches “whoever” breaches them.
- A player is not penalised for using an unlicensed operator. The consequences are financial: banks must stop deposits and payouts, and Lotteritilsynet says it cannot help a player who is not paid.
- In practice offshore sites reach Norwegian players through mirror domains, redirects, Norwegian influencers and e-mail or SMS offers. Lotteritilsynet reports operators changing addresses or redirecting to avoid DNS blocking.
What a supplier can do
No supplier licence exists, and supplying an operator that serves Norwegians without a permit is itself within the ban. The lawful market for a supplier is the two exclusive-rights providers and the permit holders’ helpers.
- The Act prohibits assisting in offering a game without a permit (“medvirke til å tilby”, Act § 4). Lotteritilsynet says this covers commission agents, agents, distributors and other intermediaries. The consequences are a stop order and coercive fine, a violation fine under § 36 and, for a material intentional or grossly negligent breach, a fine or prison up to one year (§ 37).
- No provision tells a supplier to verify a permit, but the duty follows from the ban. The pengespillregisteret and Lotteritilsynet’s list of lawful operators are the check.
- Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto cannot offer or market gambling on behalf of others (Act § 15 (1)), so white-label use of their rights is excluded.
- The Regulation sets no pre-market certification of an RNG, platform, remote game server or live studio for the exclusive-rights providers. Lotteritilsynet approves material changes to their existing games and new games (Regulation § 22). It may order any person to hand over information and documents (Act § 26).
- A platform for Norsk Tipping must support registered play on all games with eID at level “høyt”, passport, national ID card or driving licence (Regulation § 4 (2)); personal loss limits per day and month and a total limit of NOK 20,000 a month (§§ 26-28); at least three seconds between stakes (§ 30); mandatory breaks (§ 33); pause and self-exclusion (§ 9); no autoplay (§ 10); and no bonus or free play (§ 11).
- Neither the Act nor the Regulation sets a server location, a named platform standard or an information-security certification. The exclusive-rights providers may keep customer data for up to ten years (Regulation § 35).
- Norsk Tipping publishes a 2026 procurement strategy under “Offentlige anskaffelser”. The Public Procurement Act applies to contracts of NOK 500,000 or more excluding VAT for contracting authorities, which include bodies governed by public law (anskaffelsesloven § 2). Norsk Tipping is the body to ask which route a contract takes.
- Suppliers pay no regulatory fee and no sector levy; the levy is fixed only for the exclusive-rights providers (Act § 28). The sale and mediation of gambling services is exempt from VAT (merverdiavgiftsloven § 3-14), so the licensed provider cannot deduct input VAT for that activity.
Costs and tax
There is no application fee for a commercial licence because none can be obtained. The fixed fees are those of the permits above, and no gambling tax is levied.
- No gambling tax is levied on gross gaming revenue, turnover or stakes. Norsk Tipping’s surplus is distributed under Act § 12 and the horse-betting surplus under Act § 14.
- The exclusive-rights providers bear a cost-based sector levy (Act § 28) with no rate in the Act or Regulation. Lotteritilsynet’s 2025 annual report shows NOK 47,882,000 of income from Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto together.
- Ordinary company tax is 22% of income for a company taxable in Norway (2025 and 2026 income years). Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are exempt from tax (skatteloven § 2-30).
- Gambling is outside VAT, and has been since 1 January 2023.
- Player winnings are tax-free from Norwegian-permitted games and comparable publicly supervised games in another EEA state (skatteloven § 5-50 (2)). Other winnings above NOK 10,000 are taxable.
What a gambling licence in Norway costs
| Cost | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial licence | None | no licence exists for a private operator of any gambling product |
| Helper approval | NOK 20,000 | the one supplier-type approval, for helpers of non-profit permit holders |
| Pre-approval | NOK 2,000 | for a non-profit organisation or broadcaster |
| Big lottery | NOK 30,000 | to apply, then NOK 20,000 per started year |
| Gambling tax | None | no tax on revenue, turnover or stakes; the exclusive-rights providers pay a cost-based sector levy |
| Decision time | No deadline | none set; Lotteritilsynet’s general handling time is up to one month |
What an operator or supplier can do
There is no licence to apply for. The steps below are what can actually be done: confirm the position, use the helper route if the business runs games for a non-profit permit holder, or supply the exclusive-rights providers.
- 01
Confirm that no commercial route exists
Act §§ 4, 10, 14
No private operator can be licensed for casino, betting, poker, bingo or lotteries run for profit. A licence from another EEA state gives no right to serve players in Norway.
- 02
Do not serve the Norwegian market without a permit
DNS blocking, payment ban, fines
Games adapted to Norway (language, NOK, support, advertising) are caught whatever the operator’s seat. The tools are DNS blocking (238 sites blocked), the payment ban, coercive fines and a violation fine of up to 10% of Norwegian turnover.
- 03
Helper route: run games for a permit holder
Fee NOK 20,000
Only for a business that runs bingo, lotteries, ship gambling or the poker championship for a pre-approved non-profit organisation or broadcaster. See the helper steps below.
- 04
Supplier route: supply Norsk Tipping or Norsk Rikstoto
procurement, not a licence
Contracts follow Norsk Tipping’s procurement route and the Public Procurement Act where it applies. The platform must support the Regulation’s player-protection rules for the exclusive-rights providers.
- 05
Check any counterparty in the register
pengespillregisteret
Before supplying anyone, check the register of permits and approvals. Supplying an operator without a Norwegian permit is assisting an offer.
Step-by-step for a helper: the medhjelper approval
For a person or business that will run games for a non-profit organisation or broadcaster that holds a permit.
- 01
Check the conditions
Regulation § 40 (1)
Fit under Act § 9, financially sound, registered in the Enhetsregisteret, not in bankruptcy proceedings, with routines for responsible operation and for paying the organisations their share. A foreign helper gives the documents Lotteritilsynet decides.
- 02
File in Altinn and pay the fee
Regulation § 88 · NOK 20,000
Applications go on the electronic forms Lotteritilsynet has prepared. Police certificates are given for the persons in management.
- 03
Wait for the decision
general handling time up to one month
No decision time is set by the Regulation. A refusal can be appealed to Lotterinemnda within three weeks of receiving the decision.
- 04
Run the games and report
Regulation §§ 41-42, 68, 70
Pay the organisations’ share each quarter, keep audited accounts, report suspicious transactions as an obliged entity and tell Lotteritilsynet of changes in management or owners.
Source ledger
The research behind our Norway coverage
Counted across every Norway page, not this page alone.
compiled 6 Nov 2026
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 reportTier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 6 Nov 2026.
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Informational research product, not legal advice. Norwegian is the authentic language of the Act and the Regulation. Figures are as of 6 November 2026; confirm them against the current text on Lovdata and with Lotteritilsynet before relying on them.