The Norwegian government has published a new 2026-2029 national action plan on gambling harm, setting out a four-year programme focused on prevention, early identification, treatment and research. The plan gives stronger priority than previous strategies to children and young people, while stopping short of proposing new regulatory restrictions.
Issued by the Ministry of Culture and Equality, the strategy states that gambling safety and responsibility must take priority over profit and that the new plan is intended to address harms linked to both gambling and gaming-related mechanics. It also makes clear that the programme is non-regulatory, concentrating instead on information measures, support services and knowledge-building.
Youth Prevention Becomes the Central Focus of Norway’s New Gambling Harm Plan
A defining feature of the new strategy is its sharper focus on younger age groups. The government identifies children and young people aged 9 to 25 as a priority group, alongside relatives, children affected by others’ gambling, athletes, prisoners and other vulnerable groups.
The plan links this emphasis to evidence that younger people are increasingly exposed to gambling-related risks through digital environments. In the foreword, the government says it is concerned by a trend in which children become interested in gambling through video games, while the main document points to manipulative game design, loot boxes and skin betting as specific risk areas.
To address that, authorities will develop prevention programmes for schools, youth clubs, sports clubs and other relevant settings to improve understanding of gambling and gambling-like mechanics in games. The plan also calls for updated digital information on established youth-facing platforms and targeted campaigns for the 16-25 age group on gambling risk and legal versus illegal offers.
This youth angle lands amid wider debate over children’s exposure to gambling-related products in Norway. That discussion has also surfaced in licensing decisions, including the recent Pantelotteriet licence renewal with a youth exemption issue, which kept attention on how gambling rules intersect with younger audiences.
Plan Prioritises Early Intervention and Better Access to Treatment
The strategy is built around three main goals: keeping the number of people with gambling problems as low as possible, improving early identification and treatment, and increasing and sharing knowledge about gambling and gambling harm. In this context, online casinos in Norway are also part of the wider digital landscape being considered, with a growing focus on ensuring that players engage with well-regulated, transparent platforms that promote safer play.
On treatment, the government places particular weight on early identification and low-threshold support. The plan says public services need better knowledge of risk factors and early signs of problematic gambling, especially those working with children and young people. It also calls for stronger access to support for young people and parents and further development of existing information channels, such as ung.no, alongside an assessment of whether more support services should be created.
The document also highlights the role of low-threshold offers such as the national helpline, remote treatment, and digital tools, including apps, as part of a broader support system for gamblers and relatives. It specifically notes the need for digital support groups for relatives and for gambling-related issues to be better integrated into family support pathways.
Research and Knowledge-Sharing Form the Backbone of the 2026-2029 Programme
Alongside prevention and treatment, the government is using the plan to reinforce research and data collection. The strategy highlights how online gambling in Norway continues to be closely monitored, with the country maintaining regular mapping of gambling behaviour and related risks. This includes a new national survey covering both gambling and gaming. It also calls for more research into young and young-adult behaviour, gambling-like elements in games, treatment methods, and the effects of behavioural interventions.
The plan further confirms continued support for SPILLFORSK, Norway’s national competence centre for gambling research, which will carry on research commissioned by Lotteritilsynet, the Directorate of Health and the Media Authority.
This research-led approach reflects growing official concern around trends in Norway’s gambling environment. It also connects with earlier scrutiny of the country’s wider model, including recent discussion of how Norway’s gambling controls are under pressure as addiction rates rise, even within a monopoly-based framework.
No New Regulatory Measures, but Clearer Public Health Positioning
One of the clearest policy signals in the document is what it does not include. The government explicitly states that the action plan does not contain regulatory measures, even though it acknowledges that tools such as age limits, access restrictions and loss limits remain part of the broader gambling policy environment.
Instead, the plan is positioned as a public health and prevention programme built on cooperation between Lotteritilsynet, Medietilsynet and Helsedirektoratet, with input from user groups, relatives and, where relevant, the Norwegian Film Institute. The document says the measures can be adjusted during the plan period if needed, even though the main goal structure will remain fixed.
That makes this latest initiative less about changing market rules and more about improving how authorities identify risk, communicate with vulnerable groups and support those already experiencing harm.
What the New Plan Means for Norway’s Gambling Policy Direction
The immediate significance of the strategy is that Norway has now set out its official harm-reduction priorities for the next four years without reopening the core regulatory architecture. The government is signalling that education, early intervention and treatment capacity will be the main tool used through 2029, especially for younger people and other high-risk groups.
For the sector, the plan provides a clearer framework for where public resources and inter-agency cooperation will be directed. For policymakers, it creates a benchmark against which future debates on enforcement, youth exposure, gaming convergence and support services are likely to be judged.