Norway – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations

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.