Online Gambling Regulations in Norway

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Published: April 2, 2019
Updated: April 1, 2026

Online gambling has become incredibly popular over the past few years, and many countries have used this popularity to their advantage and increased their revenue. Others have, however, tightened up their laws and regulations regarding all aspects of online gambling.

Norway is one of the countries with a no-tolerance policy. While online gambling in Norway is legal, there are also some of the strictest gambling rules and legislation in place. This can often lead to confusion for players, as the act of online gambling itself is not illegal, but doing so on certain sites is.

Online gambling regulations in Norway — Learn all about the online gambling regulations in Norway

The fact of the matter is that the gambling market in Norway is rapidly growing, and new players are pulled towards this attraction daily. In this guide, we break down the laws and regulations and take a look at where you can legally enjoy online gambling without the fear of being prosecuted or running into trouble with the law.

History of online gambling in Norway

In the 1990s, private operators were allowed to install slot machines almost everywhere, including in hotels, gas stations, bars, and even grocery stores. Slot machines are only one form of online gambling, but they brought in a profit of nearly 200 million NOK back in the day.

In 2001, the turnover increased to 9 million NOK and was boosted to a massive 26 million NOK in 2004. To put it more simply, slot machines were responsible for 64% of the gambling turnover in Norway by 2004. One would think that the figures alone would drive the state towards developing it to its full potential.

However, the country banned all slot machines in 2008 and replaced them with Multi-X. In order to use these machines, players were expected first to create an account and wait for an access card. These machines also meant that players were completely monitored and all their gambling activities were recorded.

The government saw this as a way to help players by regulating their wins and losses but also preventing any future gambling problems. All revenue from these machines was put into charity projects, much like the regulations in Finland.

This movement and strict control caused unhappiness among players, especially because of the limited access and small payout amounts. Therefore, players decided to turn towards foreign online casino sites with fewer restrictions and a wider variety of games to choose from.

In 2010, Norway implemented the Act on Payment Services to prevent and block online gambling on foreign sites. This Act prevented banks from approving credit or debit card payments from citizens to foreign sites. Again, the drive behind this act was to regain control and prevent players from developing gambling addictions.

As expected, the Norwegian players did not easily accept this step, leaving them with little choice in gambling.

The current laws and gambling monopoly of Norway

Online gambling is legal in Norway, but only two state-owned companies are authorised to operate: Norsk Rikstoto and Norsk Tipping.

Norsk Rikstoto manages horse racing. Established by the Trotting Association of Norway and the Hockey Club, profits are reinvested into the horse racing sector.
Norsk Tipping oversees poker, sports betting, lotteries, scratch cards, and Keno. Owned by the Ministry of Culture, its profits go to the state budget or public projects.

These two companies have exclusive rights to provide the biggest part of legal gambling activities in Norway as per the Totalisator Act and the Gaming Scene Act. As with all land-based activities, these two companies are the only legal companies allowed to provide legal online casino games in Norway.

Strict limitations are set in place, which makes it incredibly difficult for private operators to apply for lottery operating licences. Commercial operators are also prevented from getting a full gaming licence from the Gaming Authorities.

To ensure that those strict limitations are upheld, Norway’s gambling regulator ordered banks to block any funds going to or from unauthorised online casinos.

On the 24th of April 2020, the NGA created a list of casinos they deemed “unauthorised” and fought for banks to reject funds from these providers. Despite the kickback from the casinos in question, a court ruled that banks must obey the new laws in place.

This new regulation was bolstered by the restrictions on advertising by online casinos. Casinos in Norway can no longer advertise their services on television broadcasts or online to customers within the country. Internet service providers are required to block these ads to protect potentially at-risk players within Norway.

Lots of changes occurred for Norway and the payment methods in online casinos in 2020. Operators in the Norwegian Market removed payment options such as Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, and Rapid Transfer. Alternatives for players are EcoPayz and cryptocurrencies.

New changes were also made in September 2021, and now players will get a loss limit cap of NOK5,000 on high-risk games.

Current situation of the gambling market in Norway

In 2023, Norway merged its three gambling laws (the Gaming Act, Lottery Act, and Totalisator Act) into a single Gaming Act. This reinforced the country’s monopoly system by allowing only Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto to operate legally within Norway.

What's more, the Gaming Act comes with greater powers, e.g., it can issue fines to foreign operators that can reach up to 10% of their turnover.

At the end of March 2026, the country introduced a new four-year gambling action plan with the main goal of preventing and treating problem gambling. The efforts will focus on prevention campaigns, treatment services, more research, and support specifically targeted toward the youth.

Are gambling winnings taxable in Norway?

The short answer is yes! The Norwegian government has very strict rules in place when it comes to online gambling, as well as any other forms of gambling. The regulations are set in place as a way to ensure players are gambling responsibly, and the government keeps control over the gambling activities in the country.

Because of this, all gambling earnings are taxed. This means not just gambling operators but individual players are required by law to pay tax on any winnings made via gambling.

By law, all winnings, even those obtained abroad, should be declared and taxed.

CasinoWow's advice in order to ensure that you remain on the right side of the law, the smartest move would be to declare your winnings and pay the required tax, even if those winnings were obtained on foreign gambling sites.

The status of online gambling at foreign online casinos

Norway has a state-run monopoly when it comes to online gambling or any other form of gambling. By law, only state-owned operators are allowed to provide gambling services in Norway. Of course, there are still a few online casino operators that have opened their doors to Norwegian players.

Some have even allowed players from this country to play in Nynorsk and Bokmål. They also allow players to make transactions with their country's currency, the Norwegian krone. These sites are accessible, but the government still considers them illegal.

However, in 2022, the country’s largest TV distributors were required to remove advertising from foreign gambling companies.

Players can still access these sites, but have to accept that playing at any ‘illegal’ online casinos might get them into trouble. There are times when the government decides to follow up on players participating in online gambling at offshore sites, and they have been known to get into trouble.

A silver lining is that while the government has no tolerance for illegal gambling activities, it generally chases down the operators instead of the players.

CasinoWow conclusion

The easiest way to access and play at offshore online casinos is by making use of a trustworthy eWallet or cryptocurrency.

If you’re a Norwegian-based online casino player who wants to test out the waters with a wider gaming variety, we’d suggest taking a look at our list of top-rated online casinos in Norway that are open to players. These online casinos have also been vetted and reviewed and are considered safe and fair.

The casino you select remains your choice, but ultimately, there is a risk of getting scammed if you choose to play at a site that is suspicious.

You should be aware that if this happens, there will be no support or help from the government because it is still considered illegal to play at online sites not provided by state-owned companies.