Norway’s 2025 general election has come and gone, and the state-run gambling monopoly remains intact. The centre-left Labour Party secured another term in office, a result that largely safeguards Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto’s exclusive position in the market for the next four years. Despite this, Progress Party MP Silje Hjemdal continues to champion a shift to a licensing model and the abolition of the monopoly. In the run-up to the election, she repeatedly pointed to Sweden, Denmark, and Finland as examples of how Norway could regulate a competitive online gambling market while maintaining strong player protection.
Post-election, Hjemdal and other opposition politicians have kept the issue alive, arguing that recent scandals at Norsk Tipping, including a Eurojackpot payout error that led to tens of thousands of players being incorrectly told they had won life-changing prizes, show that the current model is not as safe or robust as claimed.
Trade body leaders, including NBO Secretary General Carl Fredrik Stenstrøm, still believe Norway is closer than ever to a licensed model, even if the political timing has shifted. Some industry voices continue to view 2028 as a realistic horizon for a potential market opening, provided cross-party support can be maintained and the pressure from ongoing compliance failures at Norsk Tipping does not ease.
Norway Progress Party MP’s Campaign To End Gambling Monopoly: Key Takeaways
- The Progress Party has been a vocal advocate for ending the gambling monopoly in Norway since its 2021 election manifesto and maintained that position during the 2025 general election campaign. Norway is one of the last European nations with a state monopoly on gambling, with Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto holding exclusive rights over most forms of gambling.
- Progress Party MP Silje Hjemdal has repeatedly cited online gambling regulatory frameworks in other Nordic countries, such as Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, as prime examples for Norway to learn from.
- Under Norway’s current gambling model, only state-run operators Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto can offer online gambling, sports betting, slot machines, lotteries, and horse race betting.
Norway Lagging Behind Nordic Neighbours in Online Gambling Regulations
Norway Progress Party MP Silje Hjemdal has repeatedly called for an end to the state’s monopoly on gambling operations, making liberalisation a core part of the party’s platform. Speaking at a conference hosted by trade body Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill (NBO), Hjemdal reiterated her party’s stance on learning from its Nordic neighbours.
Sweden, Norway and Finland have amended their gambling legislation to accommodate online gambling. However, online gambling in Norway continues to be monopolised by state-run operators Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, which operate online gambling, sports betting, horse race betting, slot machines and lotteries.
Hjemdal praised her neighbours’ online gambling frameworks, emphasising that Norway could learn from them. However, she stated that there is a lot to learn before the party finalises the draft bill. She stated:
I haven’t landed on a concrete model, but I think what’s happening in Denmark is very exciting. I’d gladly take a study trip there to learn more.
Hjemdal explained the need for urgent measures to prevent large amounts of money from leaving the country every year to offshore gambling platforms. She said:
We are one of the very, 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.
The Progress Party has been calling for the end of the gambling monopoly in Norway since its 2021 election manifesto. Although the Labour Party’s victory in September means the monopoly remains in place for now, the Progress Party has signalled it will continue to push for reform from the opposition benches.
Controversies Grip Norsk Tipping as the Industry Searches for the Path Ahead
State-run Norsk Tipping has been in the limelight several times in recent times for the negative reasons. In April, the operator was penalised for handling extra Lotto and Eurojackpot tickets. In the very next month, the Norwegian Gambling Authority investigated the company for accepting funds from a minor. These incidents have since been followed by a high-profile Eurojackpot payout error in 2025, when tens of thousands of players received incorrect messages that they had won large prizes, triggering a regulatory investigation and the resignation of Norsk Tipping’s CEO.
Hjemdal believes these events, along with several other similar occurrences, point toward Norsk Tipping slowly losing its credibility, reaffirming the need for an open market. She continued:
There’s a narrative that Norsk Tipping is the safest, the best, the most thoughtful and that it doesn’t make mistakes. But they’ve been caught time and time and time again. Now, admittedly, they have to pay a lot for it. But fortunately, we also have journalists in the country’s major newspapers who really dare to address this. And I think that’s good, because we also need the media to seize these issues.
Conservative Party Positioning
The Conservative Party has also called for the abolition of Norway’s gambling monopoly in a current gambling manifesto. NBO Chief Generalsekretær Carl Fredrik Stenstrøm believes this is the closest Norway has ever been to opening up its remote gambling market to licensed private operators.
Based on the current support from two of Norway’s most popular political parties, Stenstrøm estimates that the gambling monopoly could end by 2028. Norway remains the last Nordic country to have a gambling monopoly. Earlier this year, Finland introduced several laws to prepare for an open gambling market and protect its citizens from gambling harm.
What Happens Next For Norway’s Gambling Model?
For now, Norway’s state gambling monopoly looks politically secure under the current Labour-led government. Yet repeated compliance failures at Norsk Tipping, mounting criticism from industry bodies, and ongoing pressure from opposition politicians such as the Progress Party’s Silje Hjemdal mean the debate is far from over. Observers expect that any major change, such as a transition to a licensing model similar to Denmark or Sweden, is unlikely before the next electoral cycle, and most believe that Norway’s monopoly will remain under intense scrutiny in the years leading up to 2028.