Norway’s exclusive control over gambling relies on the premise that only the state-owned operator can provide gambling services. To uphold this, the regulator, Lottstift, launched an online tip-off hotline to act against illegal operators with the aid of consumer reports.
A significant complication arose when the regulator found that the hotline had been malfunctioning, potentially losing hundreds of tip-offs. A technical error prevented some submissions from being saved, and the issue was only recently discovered, though it may have been present since March 2024.
Lottstift is urging the public to resubmit tip-offs from the past 15 months. They estimate around 500 tip-offs may have been lost. Lottstift’s head, Atle Hamar, expressed concern over missing crucial tips and urged the public to resend them, assuring that the issue has been resolved.
Norway has been somewhat successful in curtailing illegal gambling operators, noting a decrease in their presence as of April. However, the malfunctioning reporting tool may have skewed the regulator’s optimistic views. Norway continues to maintain a monopoly, with its gambling sectors operating under a single state-owned entity, despite calls for a multi-license model from some politicians.
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: SCCGManagement.com