The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has suggested the Norwegian government to introduce new regulations to enable foreign gaming companies to operate in the country, arguing that the current system is “not sustainable”.
According to current regulations, Norwegian punters can legally gamble with either Norsk Tipping or Norsk Rikstoto, however, some choose to place bets with international companies that do not hold a Norwegian licence.
The country’s government recently completed a consultation on its proposal to start blocking financial transaction to and from these foreign gaming websites.
The European Gaming and Betting Association has criticised these plans saying that such a proposal is not a “realistic or effective measure to control internet activity”.
The European Gaming and Betting Association has initiated court proceedings against plans to start blocking such transactions arguing that it is illegal under both Norwegian and EU law.
Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association, said:
“A fundamental rethink and reworking of the Norwegian online gaming regime is therefore necessary to ensure that local and foreign operators can co-exist and have equal access to a well-regulated market which meets the realities of consumer demand for different gaming products.
“This would enable the Norwegian gambling authority to bring the activity of foreign websites under its control, alongside existing state-owned operators.
“That’s exactly what the overwhelming majority of European countries have been doing, and that’s exactly what we are urging Norway to do.”
The Norwegian Gaming Authority has recently taken numerous steps to clamp down on unlicensed operators in the country. The Norwegian Gaming Authority revealed in August that it gad succeeded in persuading Apple to remove all unlicensed gambling applications from its App Store.
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