Norway cracks down on illegal gambling, blocks 57 websites in first blacklist
The Norwegian Gaming Authority, Lotteritilsynet, has blocked access to 57 gambling websites that were operating illegally in the country. This marks the regulator’s first blacklist as part of efforts to curb unlicensed gambling activities.
The crackdown affects 23 companies behind these sites, with access being blocked through Domain Name System (DNS) filtering. This method redirects players attempting to visit illegal gambling websites to an informational page hosted by their internet service provider, clarifying that while the site itself is illegal, users are not breaking the law by trying to access it.
Gambling harm and consumer protection
Lotteritilsynet lawyer, Silje Sægrov Amble, emphasised that blocking illegal websites is a crucial step in reducing gambling-related harm.
“Blocking illegal websites will help fewer people develop gambling problems,” she said.
“These are the games that have the highest risk. They are designed to get you hooked, and you can lose a lot of money in a short time.”
The move follows warnings issued last autumn to nearly 50 companies, notifying them that their websites faced potential blocking. Since then, almost 40 of around 100 websites linked to these companies have voluntarily exited the Norwegian market.
Growing pressure on unlicensed operators
Although Lotteritilsynet has not disclosed the names of the blocked websites, it confirmed that several major companies withdrew their services after receiving the warnings. Amble noted that the blocking strategy is just one of several measures aimed at making it harder for illegal operators to target Norwegian players.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to be an illegal gambling company in Norway,” she said.
“There are several reasons for this. TV advertising is gone, and Norwegian banks are stopping bets and winnings to and from these companies.”
Consumer awareness and regulatory challenges
Despite these efforts, Amble acknowledged that many Norwegians remain unaware of which operators are legally approved. Surveys conducted by Sentio indicate that around 50% of Norwegians do not know whether a gambling site is legally authorised to operate in the country.
“Players do not know about the risk,” she said.
“We believe most people want information that they are entering an illegal game. Therefore, blocking is also an information measure.”
According to Norwegian gambling regulations, the only company that can legally offer online casino games and betting is Norsk Tipping AS. Norway faces challenges regarding cross-border marketing by illegal online gambling operators. In 2010, Lotteritilsynet effectively implemented payment-blocking to stop money transfers between foreign gambling operators and individuals in Norway. In 2021, a ban on the distribution of TV-adverts broadcast from abroad came into force.
