Norway's gambling regulatory authority (Lotteritilsynet) recently issued 24 special lottery licenses, covering postal code lotteries and recycling lotteries, moderately opening up competition while maintaining a market monopoly. Relevant Nordic gambling regulatory cases can be queried on the PASA official website.
License Details: Two Types of Lotteries Each Have Their Attribution
This issuance of licenses focuses on specific types of lotteries, with clear allocation results:
Postal code lottery: 23 licenses were issued at once, with winners including SOS Children's Villages, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and other charitable organizations, which will operate in cooperation with the local traditional operator Norsk Postkodelotteriet.
Recycling lottery (Pantelotteriet): Only one license was issued, obtained by the Norwegian Red Cross, which will advance in partnership with Norsk Pantelotteri, encouraging the public to participate in lottery draws by recycling bottles and cans.
Both types of licenses will take effect on March 1, 2026, and are valid until February 28, 2035, breaking the previous pattern where only two operators managed the postal code lottery.
License Rules: Revenue Cap + Charity Orientation
Applicants must meet specific conditions to obtain a license, with core rules including:
The annual revenue cap for operators is 41 million Norwegian kroner (approximately 4.07 million US dollars), to avoid excessive expansion affecting market order;
A prominent charitable attribute, with at least 50% of the revenue after deducting prizes belonging to the license holder (charitable organization), practicing the concept of gambling giving back to society;
The recycling lottery has a unique environmental feature, allowing the public to exchange the proceeds from recycled bottles and cans for lottery tickets, balancing environmental protection and entertainment.
These rules not only define market boundaries but also strengthen the public welfare nature of gambling, balancing industry development and social values.
Market Status: Monopoly Structure and Calls for Opening Up Stand in Opposition
Norway remains one of the few European countries to retain a gambling monopoly, with current legal gambling operations mainly controlled by state-owned operators Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, covering online gambling, sports betting, horse racing, and other areas.
However, calls for market opening are growing: since 2021, the Progress Party has been advocating for an end to the monopoly, and after the 2025 elections, their seats increased to 47, although not in power, their influence has increased; some politicians point out that under the current model, a large amount of money flows overseas, failing to give back to Norwegian sports and cultural fields.
In addition, compliance issues with monopoly operators have also intensified the controversy: Norsk Tipping has been fined 82 million Norwegian kroner due to defects in the self-exclusion mechanism and technical failures, and the former CEO resigned due to lottery errors; Norsk Rikstoto was also fined 6 million Norwegian kroner due to a loophole in the loss limit, making the demand for market opening more persuasive.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders" gambling news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
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