A new gambling act has been introduced in Norway, which will take a much harder stance against unlicensed igambling operators and affiliates.
Three existing acts – the Lottery Act, the Gambling Act and the Totalisator Act – have all been combined under one bill into a new, updated and tougher bill.
Under the terms of the new law, any operator who tries to offer gambling in the Scandinavian country will face strict fines.
This clause was put in, in part, to protect the market monopolies of Norsk Rikstoto and Norsk Tipping.
“I am pleased to finally be able to present the new gambling law, which is a milestone in the government’s work to prevent gambling problems and ensure responsible gambling,” said minister of culture and gender equality Abid Raja, about the new law that was first proposed in June last year.
“We are tired of foreign gambling companies that do not respect Norwegian law, and that do not operate with proper accountability measures. Therefore, the new law provides the Norwegian Lotteries Authority with new tools for detecting, reacting to and sanctioning violations of the law.”
The government has threatened to punish all those operators and affiliates who violate the ban.
The bill also makes it a criminal offense to market gambling to minors.
Gambling with credit cards will also be banned.