Norway Progress Party MP Advocates for End to Gambling Monopoly

Silje Hjemdal, a member of Norway's Progress Party, has reiterated her party's commitment to ending the country's gambling monopoly, while looking to neighboring Nordic nations for guidance. The Progress Party has sought an end to Norway's gambling monopoly since the 2021 election manifesto, and with the general election looming on September 8, Hjemdal has emphasized plans for substantial changes to the existing framework. At a May conference organized by the trade body Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill, Hjemdal cited Finland, Sweden, and Denmark as examples from which Norway could learn about remote gambling models, although she admitted that the party has not yet settled on a specific approach. "I haven’t landed on a concrete model, but I think what’s happening in Denmark is very exciting. And I’d gladly take a study trip there to learn more," she stated at the conference. She noted, "We are one of very, very few countries left that have this [remote gambling] model," urging better regulation of the current system. Currently, large amounts of money leave the country each year without benefiting Norwegian sports or culture. In Norway, gambling is currently regulated exclusively through state monopolies Norsk Tipping and Norsk Ristroto, which offer services including online gambling, sports betting, horse racing, lottery, and physical slots. Recently, Norsk Tipping has faced regulatory challenges, including an investigation by the Norwegian Gambling Authority (Lotteritilsynet) related to a minor transferring funds to the operator. Additionally, in February, Lotteritilsynet announced that Norsk Tipping could be fined up to NOK36 million ($3.2 million) for failing to allow players to self-exclude. Hjemdal criticized Norsk Tipping's effectiveness as a monopoly, maintaining that an open market is needed. "There’s a narrative that Norsk Tipping is the safest, the best, the most thoughtful and that it doesn’t make mistakes. But they’ve been caught time and time and time again," she remarked. She acknowledged the fines but noted the importance of media in highlighting these issues. Alongside Hjemdal’s Progress Party, the Conservative Party is also advocating for the termination of Norway’s gambling monopoly, having called for its end in their latest manifesto released in September 2022. NBO chief Carl Stenstrøm observed that this represents a peak in Norway's movement toward liberalizing its remote gambling sector. Given the growing political backing from both parties, he anticipates the market could see changes by 2028. Norway remains the last Scandinavian country with a gambling monopoly, while Finland is actively pursuing market liberalization, a development that has generated interest in reforming regulations in Norway.