Costly errors fuel calls to dismantle Norway’s gambling monopoly

February 11, 2025

Costly errors fuel calls to dismantle Norway’s gambling monopoly

Norway’s state-owned gambling monopoly, Norsk Tipping, is facing increasing scrutiny as a series of lottery blunders come to light ahead of the upcoming elections. These errors have fuelled the debate over whether Norway should dismantle its monopoly and adopt a licensing system similar to that of its Scandinavian neighbours.

“Very serious mistake”

Norsk Tipping has recently been plagued by a series of errors that have garnered negative media attention. One incident involved a Norwegian gambler receiving a message falsely informing them of a million-dollar lottery win. This mistake occurred shortly after local media outlet VG reported that lottery syndicates had discovered a way to exploit the Eurojackpot system.

The Eurojackpot error involved a bonus prize of NOK1m (€86,553) awarded in addition to the main jackpot. A technical glitch caused players entering as a group to receive entries equal to the total number of players in the group. For example, if ten players joined together, each player would receive ten entries instead of the group receiving ten entries in total. A Norsk Tipping spokesperson acknowledged the error as a “very serious mistake” and promised to rectify it.

These incidents followed a NOK4.5m (€382,521) fine issued to Norsk Tipping in October of the previous year for overpaying a lottery winner by NOK20m. The Norwegian gambling regulator deemed it a “serious system failure,” cautioning that the erroneous payment could potentially trigger or worsen a gambling problem.

Political ramifications and calls for change

The series of errors has amplified calls for change in Norway’s gambling regulation. With elections approaching in September 2025, sceptical politicians are beginning to voice their concerns.

Following the accidental millionaire incident, Peter Frølich, a senior Conservative Party MP, publicly advocated for Norway to consider a licensing model. He argued that “if we had had a licensing system, we could have revoked a license and cracked down on errors like we see at Norsk Tipping now.”

Tonje Sagstuen, CEO of Norsk Tipping, countered that the operator would likely face stricter sanctions due to its singular status, stating that “strict control and direct management options are one of the major advantages of the exclusive model.”

Conservative Party’s stance

Frølich is part of a faction within the Conservative Party that is pushing for the adoption of a manifesto commitment to dismantle Norway’s gambling monopoly. The party is currently discussing the matter and may announce its official position on Norsk Tipping following its convention in March.

The Conservative Party wants to replace the current exclusive rights model with a licensed model to increase revenues for the state and provide greater opportunities to help those who are struggling with problem gambling. Their election manifesto emphasises the financial benefits of a licensing system and sees Finland’s liberalisation as a model for Norway.

Political landscape

Norway is currently governed by a coalition between the Labour and Centre parties. However, polls, including this one from Kalshi.com, a regulated platform for trading on events, indicate a potential shift to the right in the upcoming September elections. The far-right Progress Party is projected to gain the largest share of the vote, with the Conservative Party following closely behind.

Other parties have also voiced their opinions on the gambling monopoly. The Progress Party called for the monopoly to be abolished in its 2021 manifesto and the Liberal Party said it will review the current gambling regulations in an effort to tackle gambling addiction in its 2025 manifesto.

Industry optimism

With Finland progressing towards dismantling its gambling monopoly and Norsk Tipping exhibiting signs of political vulnerability, lobbyists for the broader gambling industry are optimistic. Carl Fredrik Strestrøm, secretary general for the Norwegian Trade Association for Online Gambling (NBO), stated that “the monopoly model is under pressure, and with good reason,” adding that “all of Norway’s neighbours have — or are in the process of — implementing a licence system. Their conclusion was that a licence system increases public income and reduces gambling problems in the public”.

Strestrøm believes Norwegian lawmakers are slowly realising the benefits of a licensing system, and several political parties have already decided they want a change. He anticipates that a change of government in the upcoming elections would significantly improve the chances of reforming the system for the benefit of Norwegian players.

Defence of Norway’s gambling monopoly model

Despite the mounting pressure, the monopoly model still has strong advocates, including Atle Hamar, head of the Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority (Lottstift). At last month’s ICE in Barcelona, Hamar asserted that “in Norway, there are no discussions on changing the model yet,” reiterating his long-standing defence of the monopoly model and Lottstift’s ability to oversee it effectively.