Does It Matter That Norway Voted to Ban International Online Casinos?

Norway has been one of the few Northern European countries to cling to its online gambling monopoly for all its worth. Despite its peers' incredible financial success and well-managed, safer gambling results, the Nordic territory has chosen to double down on its state-run gambling industry by banning international casino access.

 Norway Votes for Safer Gambling

The Norwegian Parliament voted on 19 March 2024 to ban all access from its shores to internationally owned and operated online gambling sites.

The law allows the Gambling Authority to instruct local internet service providers to block Norwegian casino players from accessing real-money casino sites. However, since it is still legal for players in Norway to gamble at offshore gambling providers, no legal action would be taken should they choose to use a VPN to access their preferred online casinos.

Given that Norway is a highly literate country with a robust technology and innovation score (122% of the EU average), it is yet to be determined if this decision will make any real difference to players who are bored with the local software provider, welcome bonuses, and casino game selection.

The Facts Don’t Support The Narrative

While the Norwegian Gaming Authority is fully within its rights to take this action given its Gambling Act, the narrative surrounding the decision is questionable.

According to the regulator, the decision to ban access to unlicensed sites was taken to protect players from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous operators. However, according to the stats shared by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, the number of players dealing with compulsive behaviours decreased from 55,000 in 2019 to 23,000 in 2023.

With deposit and withdrawal restrictions in place at the banking level and a vibrant legal gambling framework, the new DNS-level blockade is unlikely to have any demonstrable impact on those results.

A more realistic view is that the decision is hoped to reduce the amount of money spent on unlicensed operators and direct that revenue towards the country’s approved gambling providers, Norsk Tipping and Rikstoto.