European Gaming and Betting Association encourages Norway to break monopoly, embrace open licensing

Photo: Shutterstock

European Gaming and Betting Association encourages Norway to break monopoly, embrace open licensing

Article brief provided by SBC News
  • Ted Orme-Claye, SBC News
September 18, 2023 7:51 PM
  • Ted Orme-Claye, SBC News
  • Norway
  • Sports Betting

European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) Secretary General Maarten Haijer has urged Norway to call a close to its monopoly licensing system.

Norway is currently one of the only European and Nordic countries, alongside Finland, to still have a monopoly system in place. Norsk Rikstoto holds exclusive rights to pari-mutuel horse racing betting and Norsk Tipping for sports wagering.

However, it seems that the use of monopoly licencing systems in Europe is coming to a close, as Finland looks set to to usher in a partial-licencing model by 2025 which would see permits issued for sports betting but Veikkaus retain its monopoly for gaming and lotteries.