Norway’s Conservative Party Calls for End to National Gambling Monopoly

Norway’s Conservative party (Høyre) has called for an end to the country’s long-standing gambling monopoly in its latest manifesto, a move that has sparked fresh debate on the future of gambling regulations. The Norwegian gambling trade body Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill (NBO) is optimistic that this support could lead to a fully liberalised market by 2028.

Norway is currently the last Scandinavian country to maintain a gambling monopoly, but with Finland moving to liberalise its online market in July, the political momentum for a similar change in Norway is growing. Presently, all legal gambling in Norway is controlled by two state monopolies—Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto—which oversee lottery, sports betting, horseracing, physical slots, and online gambling.

The Conservative party’s manifesto, released on 9 September, champions a shift away from the exclusive rights model. The proposed change is being led by a committee of Conservative politicians, including Magnus Mæland, Ola Svenneby, Tage Pettersen, and Anita Oterhals Eide. The policy states: “Replace the current exclusive rights model with a licensed model to increase revenues for the state and [provide] greater opportunities to help those who are struggling with problem gambling.” The manifesto also suggests that Norway could learn from the gambling frameworks of Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, all of which have moved to liberalised systems.

This marks a departure from the party’s 2021 stance, which supported maintaining the gambling monopolies. With 36 of the 169 seats in parliament, the Conservative party is the second largest in the country, having garnered 20.6% of the vote in the 2021 general election. The next election is scheduled for 8 September 2025, and political parties have already begun drafting their manifestos for the public consultation process ahead of the election. Once feedback is incorporated, final versions will be presented to the national assembly.

The governing Labour party, which currently holds a slim majority of 48 seats and governs in coalition with the Centre party (which holds 28 seats), remains a staunch supporter of the monopoly system. In contrast, the Progress party, with 21 seats, has been pushing for the monopoly’s abolition since its 2021 manifesto. The party advocates for a licensing system for sports and entertainment betting, aligning with policies in neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, the Liberal party, in its 2025 manifesto, has called for a review of current gambling regulations to address concerns around addiction.

NBO’s general secretary, Carl Fredrik Stenstrøm, is optimistic about the possibility of a licensed market. “I am extremely optimistic this could be our time for a licensed gambling market,” Stenstrøm told iGB, noting that a shift is inevitable. He pointed to Sweden as an example, where problem gambling did not increase after the market was regulated, addressing one of the main concerns of policymakers.

He added that Finland’s recent decision to regulate online gambling has been a significant development for Norway’s unregulated grey market. While efforts to end the monopoly were debated in 2021 but ultimately dismissed, Stenstrøm believes the increasing cross-party support signals that the issue will soon be revisited and could result in meaningful regulatory changes.

In fact, he predicts that Norway could see a fully liberalised online gambling sector by 2028. Supporting this sentiment, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) recently urged Norwegian lawmakers to adopt a licensing model, highlighting that it would address problems such as the rising use of unlicensed gambling sites.

By fLEXI tEAM