Norway’s gambling regulator, Lotteritilsynet, has issued a new set of licences for postcode lotteries and approved one permit for a recycling-style lottery. The latest measure expands the number of authorised operators in two formats that have been exempted from Norway’s wider gambling monopoly. Gambling in Norway is under total state control, even as political debate continues over whether to introduce a competitive licensing framework.
Norway Issues New Lottery Permits Amid Calls for Regulatory Reforms: Quick Overview
- Norway’s national gambling regulator has issued 23 new licences for postcode lotteries and approved one recycling-style lottery licence. These permits apply to lottery formats that are exempt from Norway’s wider gambling monopoly.
- The 23 permits for postcode lotteries will be shared by SOS Children’s Villages, WWF, Redd Barna, Norwegian Church Aid and Norwegian People’s Aid. The licences will be valid from March 1, 2026, to February 28, 2035.
- The Norwegian Red Cross received the single postcode (Pantelotteriet) licence and will work with Norsk Pantelotteri. The charity will get 50% of the total revenue after payouts.
Norway Outlines Key Requirements for Lottery Licensees
In a press release published on Wednesday, January 14, Lotteritilsyne, the national gambling regulator, confirmed that it will issue 23 new postcode lottery permits and one recycling lottery licence in the upcoming renewal cycle. Norway is one of the last European countries to retain a gambling monopoly model.
However, current rules allow certain organisations to apply for specific types of lottery permits. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements, including a maximum annual turnover of NOK 410 million (approximately €34.9 million). Authorities have been debating whether to adopt a competitive licensing framework for quite some time now.
In the postcode lottery format, players pay to have their own postcode entered into a prize draw. The licences cover a part of the market that is exempt from the monopoly. The successful applicants included SOS Children’s Villages, WWF, Redd Barna, Norwegian Church Aid and Norwegian People’s Aid.
Each organisation will work with Norsk Postkodelotteriet, Norway’s established postcode lottery. The charities will split 50% of the annual turnover, after payouts, between themselves. The new licences will be valid from March 1, 2026, to February 28, 2035. Previously, only two charities were permitted to operate in this sector. The new approvals mark a major increase in the number of permitted participants.
The regulator also issued a single licence for the Pantelotteriet concept. The game operates as a recycling lottery linked to machines used to return bottles and cans. It is intended to encourage people across Norway to recycle at stores and other collection points.
The Norwegian Red Cross will work with Norsk Pantelotteri, the organisation that runs the lottery. Similar to the postcode lottery’s revenue share model, Red Cross will receive 50% of the total annual turnover, after payouts. This licence will also be valid until 2035, similar to that of the new postcode lottery permits.
Political Pressure Grows to End Norway’s Gambling Monopoly
While licences are available for these two lottery formats, online gambling in Norway is generally restricted to state-run operators like Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, which provide online gambling, sports betting, horse racing, lottery products and physical slots. Some politicians have argued that Norway should open its market to more licensed operators.
Supporters say this would reflect reforms seen in other Nordic countries, including Finland, where the open market launches on July 1, 2027, and Sweden, which has one of the best regulatory frameworks for online gambling among Nordic countries. Norway’s Progress Party has called for an end to the monopoly since its 2021 election manifesto.
Although the Progress Party could not form the government after the 2025 election, the debate has continued as lawmakers assess Norway’s current model. Recent instances, including a very serious loss limit violation by Rikstoto, as well as operational irregularities at Norsk Tipping, have encouraged the officials to evaluate a competitive licensing model.
Progress Party MP Silje Hjemdal noted that Norway remained one of the last Nordic nations to retain a gambling monopoly. She emphasised the need to proactively regulate the industry and update the legislation to protect players and benefit local communities.
Hjemdal said:
We are one of the very few countries left that have this [remote gambling] model. We must regulate better, and the way the model is today, there are actually very large sums of money that are sent out of the country every year without going back to Norwegian sports or culture.