Norwegians Continue to Use Online Casinos Despite Government Crackdown

Despite pressure from their own government, Norwegians are free to use unlicensed online casinos without fear of penalty. This is the conclusion that can be drawn from a report that more than 200,000 Norwegians used unlicensed online casinos last year without a single person being prosecuted.

In Theory, Norwegian Law Prohibits Unlicensed Gambling

Norway has long had very ambiguous laws when it comes to gambling. In theory, state-owned Norsk Tipping and industry group Norsk Rikstoto enjoy a duopoly over all gambling services – both online and offline. A handful of private operators are permitted to offer restricted gambling activities to Norwegians, but their profits are taxed at an exorbitant 65%.

In Practice, Norwegians are Free to Use Any Online Casino

Norwegian gambling authority Lotteritilsynet has considered blocking unlicensed gambling sites and preventing advertisers from promoting such sites, although it has yet to go through with these plans. It has gone so far as to order Norwegian banks to block payments related to online gambling, although consumers can easily get around this problem by using alternative payment methods. It has also asked warned Malta-based online gambling operators to stop targeting Norwegians, but with little success.

Despite all this pressure from the authorities, Norwegians are free in practice to enjoy playing at any online casino they wish. None of Norway’s gambling laws actually prohibit consumers from using unlicensed gambling services – and therefore Norwegians can and do frequent online casinos without fear of punishment.

Lotteritilsynet itself said in its 2018 annual report that around 10% of Norwegian online gamblers used unlicensed gambling sites last year. It’s been estimated that around 40% of Norway’s 5.3 million people use online gambling sites. If we’re to use Lotteritilsynet’s numbers as a conservative estimate, this means at least 200,000 Norwegians use unlicensed online casinos. Most of these enthusiasts do believe that Norway would benefit more from a regulated market, as it would put a higher standard in terms of operation for the various online casinos that are on the market. Time remains to see whether this is a feasible possibility.

Norwegians Have Hundreds of Gambling Sites to Choose From

Most Norwegians speak great English, but the majority still prefer gambling on Norwegian-language sites, as it seems more familiar to them. It’s fortunate, then, that there are hundreds of online casinos with sites built specifically for Norwegian gamblers.

For a list of top Norwegian online casinos, check out Norskcasino.com. These sites are all run by foreign operators such as Betsafe, Betsson, and NordicBet, but appear in the Norwegian language and allow customers to make deposits and withdrawals in Norwegian kroner (NOK). Here, Norwegians can also take advantage of great bonus offers and find amazing and new slot machines.

Because Norway doesn’t actually prohibit consumers from using these sites, Norwegians can visit online casinos from their desktop without a VPN. In countries that place the onus on consumers, a VPN – or virtual private network – is really the only safe way to log on to an unlicensed online casino without being caught. But in Norway, hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the best of online gambling from around the world – in the Norwegian language, with Norwegian krone, from the comfort of their own home in Norway.

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