This page lists all the online casinos that accept Norwegian players and many of them also are available in Norwegian Krone currency (NOK). So if you are in Norway and looking for a casino to play this list below is one that we aim to keep updated in our database.
Most of the pages on this website are filtered based on your geographic location so if you are in Norway then you should only see casino bonuses and casinos that take players from Norway only. You can use our filter to see the complete list of casinos regardless of location, however this filter makes it easier for you to find only the right casinos for you.
Information about gambling in Norway
The general understanding about gambling in Norway according to its legislation is that it’s an illegal practice across the country, however, there are still some exceptions to be considered.
The Norwegian gaming policy focuses its options for gambling for three specific objectives: prevention of problematic gambling behavior, prevention of financial irregularities and limitation of private profit. All of this comes as correlation with their own infrastructure and interests.
Under the Norwegian gaming policy, responsible gaming is the prime objective. There is a large political agreement that prevails in Norway that money games must be regulated in order to prevent undesirable gambling behavior, which the country has a history of.
State owned gambling monopoly
In Norway, there’s currently a kind monopoly set up by the state regarding everything gambling. This came about as a result of three acts that were issued in the 1900s. These acts offered some exceptions from the ban that had been imposed on the Norwegian gambling market.
These added acts were: The Totalisator Act that provided the rights for Norsk Rikstoto to offer horse-racing betting activities. Then the Gaming Act that granted the state-owned operator Norsk Tipping the exclusive rights to operate some lottery and soccer betting. And finally, the Norwegian Lottery Act which is considered the most exhaustive one due to the fact that it provided a detailed definition of all forms of lotteries and other games.
Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the only two companies in Norway that are allowed to provide gambling services to Norwegian citizens. Norsk Risktoto is the only company of the two that is allowed to arrange horse racing betting. Norsk Tipping mainly runs games like lotteries, sports betting, Keno and more.
One must be 18 or older to play any form of gambling game or place betting wagers. The only exclusion is scratch off tickets, which there is no age requirement for purchasing. Many people believe that this is having double morals and are asking that the Norwegian laws be made clearer as to what is legal and what is not. Because there still hangs some kind of uncertainty surrounding gambling laws in Norway.
Many gambling companies that wish to continue business have simply moved out of the country in order to continue providing service to their customers without fear of breaking the law.
And since Norway also has a very strict law on commercials, they also have to advertise through other foreign channels to reach their Norwegian audiences.
Online and foreign gambling
In 2008, Norway made it illegal for individuals to play at foreign gambling sites. This caused a great deal of concern, however, the law hasn’t been enforced that strictly as it could have been. Many people from Norway play at unlicensed foreign sites every day without any issues. It’s similar to what it is seen in other countries where there are laws on the books against playing, but they aren’t enforced.
If you want to be strictly compliant with the law, you can play at Norsk Tipping for poker and sports betting or Norsk Riskoto for pari-mutuel wagering. Playing anywhere else is illegal.
Despite all of this, there’s still a steady current of online gambling coming from offshore sites that accepts Norwegian players.
There are no specific laws against gambling online in Norway. So, gambling online is extremely popular and heavily used. Another reason for its popularity is there are no land based casinos in Norway, as they are not legal either.
Many of the most renown offshore gambling sites branded as “unlicensed” within the country that still accept Norwegian customers today, still operate within the legal parameters of the country they’re headquartered from, so, there’s little to be worried about when looking at offshore online gambling.
Possible changes for the future
The Ministry of Culture presented a proposal for a new gambling act on 26 June 2020, which includes some important changes to the current legislation. However, Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto retain their exclusive rights. The new gambling act is on public consultation until the 29 September 2020, during which the Ministry will receive input from stakeholders. After the public consultation, the Ministry will consider the input received, and may make amendments to the proposal before adopting a final act. A new act is likely to be adopted in 2021.
The Ministry proposes to combine the Gaming Scheme Act, Totalisator Act and Lottery Act into one joint gambling act.
The Gaming Authority is given stronger rights to enforce the gambling legislation, particularly towards internet providers. The new act retains the current gambling definition, however the Ministry has attempted to clarify, in its proposal, in which cases computer games and other forms of social gaming fall within the gambling definition
The Norwegian Parliament has passed an amendment to the current Broadcasting Act, giving the Media Authority new powers to stop unlawful marketing of unlicensed gambling
