The latest annual report from the Norwegian Lottery Authority shows that the overseas gambling market continues to shrink, while the user activity on domestic platforms has significantly increased. At the same time, high-risk behaviors among young players have alerted regulatory bodies.
According to the report, the number of people using the Norwegian national gambling platform Norsk Tipping for online gaming exceeded 2 million in 2024, a significant increase from 1.8 million in 2023. Another domestic platform, Norsk Rikstoto, also reported a steady rise in user numbers.
The gaming revenue of domestic platforms, which compete directly with foreign gambling operators, grew from 2.6 billion Norwegian kroner (about 285 million USD) in 2023 to 3.1 billion Norwegian kroner in 2024. Meanwhile, the net turnover of foreign gambling companies decreased from 1.6 billion Norwegian kroner to 1.3 billion Norwegian kroner during the same period.
Tore Bell, the director of the Norwegian Lottery Authority, commented on these changes, saying: "We are seeing the overseas gambling market shrink year by year, while at the same time, the number of users and turnover of our national exclusive operators continue to grow."
He added: "It's not just the size of the market that is changing, but also the choices of the players. More and more people played on Norwegian platforms last time, and now the most frequently played games are also domestic."
However, foreign gambling companies still hold a share in some high-risk areas, especially in the online casino sector, where the market share still remains between 22% and 28%.
Young players become a focal point
The report specifically points out that there is an increasing trend of high-risk gaming behaviors among the young player group aged 18 to 25, which has raised concerns among regulatory bodies about potential long-term harm.
For this reason, the Norwegian Lottery Authority is calling on domestic telecommunications companies to take more measures to reduce the temptations and risks brought by online casinos and computer games to the young group.
In fact, as early as January this year, Norway had already implemented a stricter monthly loss limit policy for young players, as part of its broader gambling regulatory reform aimed at reducing gambling-related social harm, especially the impact on vulnerable groups.
Although effective, Tore Bell warned that very special measures might be needed in the future to bring the remaining players who are still active on foreign platforms into the regulated market.
