Norway – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
Gambling online in Norway is pretty straightforward. For locals, there are two main options: Playing the games offered by either Norsk Tipping or Norsk Rikstoto or playing at an online casino located outside Norway. Other forms of gambling include playing the lottery, bingo, or poker.Norway isn’t a regulated market like, for example, Sweden and Denmark. Instead, Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the only companies allowed by the government monopoly to offer gambling services from within the country. A limited number of other private operators are allowed to apply for authorization to offer bingo, poker, or lotteries. All other means of gambling are illegal. That said, the legislation is aimed at operators, not gamblers. This is something we’ll look at more closely in this article.
Finding the best Norwegian casino online
Although some forms of gambling are illegal in Norway, the laws regarding gambling are only aimed at local gambling. Online casinos located outside Norway are allowed to accept Norwegian players and playing at one of these as a Norwegian is permitted.
To find an excellent online casino, however, you’ll want to narrow the search. Knowing whether you mainly want to play slots or sportsbook is, for example, essential information. Also, it’s good to know if bonuses are necessary for you and if the operator offers payment methods that you are able to use.
Here are some other things you might want to know when you’re shopping for an online casino:
- Are you able to play in Norwegian?
- Can you play using NOK?
- Does the casino have customer support in Norwegian?
- Are locals allowed to participate in bonuses, promotions and loyalty programs?
- Does the site offer the types of games you’re looking to play?
- Are there payment methods that you can use?
GoodLuckMate has reviewed hundreds of casinos, and we’ve also listed all of the best ones. When reviewing, we go through all of the questions above so you don’t have to. Check the review for your casino of choice.
Gambling regulation – The Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority
The Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority (Lotteri- og stiftelsetilsynet) is in charge of the local gambling regulations. They ensure that the laws and regulations are followed, which also means reviewing online casinos.
As mentioned earlier, only Norsk Tipping, Norsk Rikstoto, along with a handful of authorized private providers of poker, bingo and lotto, are legally allowed to operate in the country. Of these options, only Norsk Tipping offers slot games, and their selection is somewhat limited.
The Norwegian regulator also reviews the online casino market, although there are no other local online casinos. Foreign operators are not allowed to market themselves in Norway, and they are also not allowed to “aim” their services at Norwegians. That said, locals are still able to gamble at foreign casinos without restrictions.
The Norwegian regulators are fighting this by restricting local banks and other payment providers from allowing funds that originated from gambling to be deposited in their accounts. This is something that’s created issues when Norwegians try to fund their accounts or withdraw winnings, even from foreign casinos.
Localized online casinos
The only local online casino you’ll find in Norway is the one owned by Norsk Tipping. This is offered in Norwegian and allow local currency to be used.
That said, localized online casinos offered by foreign operators are illegal. The Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority can issue administrative orders or fine operators in the EU/EAA companies that are deliberately targeting Norwegians.
A casino site like this would be one that is offered in Norwegian and allows NOK currency or in other ways provides Norway-specific assets. Even if these locally focused foreign casinos are illegal, they do exist.
The main challenge that Norwegians face when playing at an online casino is being able to deposit and withdraw. Payment methods that utilize their bank accounts are more or less out of the question, and even e-wallets operating in Norway receive requests to review customer funds to minimize funds coming from non-regulated gambling.
For locals, in the last few years, this has led to several situations where funds have become “stuck” at casinos or payment providers due to restrictions set down by the government.
Casino in Norway
Somewhat surprisingly, there are no land-based casinos in Norway. Often when governments have a monopoly over gambling, you’ll find at least one land-based casino in the country. But that’s not the case here. Slots were made illegal in the country in 2007.
Neither of the operators that are allowed to provide gaming offers any form of “casino,” but there are special IVTs (Interactive Video Terminals) available. The idea behind offering these is to replace old slot machines, but these terminals aren’t very popular because they’re quite rare and require a specific gaming card for players to use them.
That said, the online casino market is wide open for players in Norway. As a player, you can pick and choose from a large number of online operators. We recommend that you stick to casinos licensed within the EU since they have the strictest regulations.
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
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