The Norwegian Industrial Association for Online Gaming (NBO) and the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) have formed a partnership to work on implementing a safe and effective licensing and regulatory system for gambling in Norway. This move could potentially put an end to Norway’s gambling monopoly in the near future.

Calls to End the Monopoly

The NBO and IBIA’s collaboration aims to focus on regulating and ensuring betting integrity in the gambling market in Norway. It is in response to long-standing demands to dissolve the state’s gambling monopoly and open the Norwegian market to licensed operators. Similar efforts have been underway in other Scandinavian countries such as Finland, Sweden, and Denmark in recent years to establish a licensing system.

Currently, Norway only has two state-owned gambling providers: Norsk Tipping for online casino games and sports betting, and Norsk Rikstoto for horse race betting.

About IBIA

IBIA, established in 2005, is an organization dedicated to preserving the integrity of licensed betting operators, primarily by fighting betting corruption and protecting sports integrity. They have a strict membership process, and their activities span six continents.

Outdated Monopoly System

The NBO and IBIA anticipate that, by 2024, 43% of bets will be placed with foreign operators, signaling a lack of effectiveness in the current Norwegian gambling monopoly system.

Carl Fredrik Stenstrøm, the Secretary-General of NBO, emphasizes the need for a regulatory framework for sports betting that is not confined by national boundaries. This envisioned partnership with IBIA aims to facilitate responsible practices that minimize gambling-related harm.

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, pledges support to NBO in challenging Norway’s gambling monopoly, citing its hindrance to market supervision, consumer protection, and effective measures to ensure sports betting integrity.

The Norwegian government is yet to comment on this partnership, leaving uncertainty about the potential abolition of the gambling monopoly.

Finland’s Move to End Monopoly by 2026

In a similar vein, Finland plans to abolish its gambling monopoly under Veikkaus by 2026, replacing it with a licensing system designed to combat rampant problem gambling and money laundering.

It remains to be seen whether the Norwegian government will consider the Finnish gambling policy as a model for its own reforms in the coming months.

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