How DNS Blocking Effects the Best Online Gambling Sites in Norway

The gambling landscape in Norway is a tricky business. Norway has banned many forms of gambling with just a couple of regulated options being offered through its two completely state-run gambling regulators. Therefore, there are many questions about the best online gambling sites in Norway, which we will answer here.

One of the main questions that gets asked is, where is it safe for Norwegian players? We will talk about the completely legal options as well as the gray areas that currently exist in Norway’s gambling laws. We’ll also explain the recent proposal for DNS blocking and how it may affect you if you are a player in Norway.

Use the navigation table below to skip forward to Norwegian gambling topics that you are most interested in, or simply keep reading to find out in depth info on EU licensed casinos in Norway. You can also read our dedicated Norway page to find our guide on the best online gambling sites for Norwegian players.

• EU Licensed Casinos in Norway
• Playing Through Foreign Online Casinos in Norway
• DNS Blocking: Is It Safe For Norwegian Players?
• The History of Gambling in Norway

EU Licensed Casinos in Norway

Norway has some of the most strict gambling laws in all of Europe. This is in part because the country struggled with a surge of problematic gambling behavior in the past. The government’s response to combat this was an all out ban of most forms of gambling.

Now in Norway you can play the lottery, bet on horse racing and play on video terminals similar to slot machines at some specified locations. However, you will not find land-based casinos in Norway, which means that there are no Norwegian casinos offering their services online.

In theory, Norsk Tipping, one of the two state-owned gambling authorities in Norway, has the right to create online gambling platforms in the country. In fact, they have a monopoly on this sector. So you may wonder where Norwegians can access online gambling? Where is it safe for Norwegian players to play?

Playing Through Foreign Online Casinos in Norway

The popular solution for Norway’s strict gambling laws has been players using foreign operators to make their bets. This is true for sports betting as well as for other online slots and casino games. Since many neighboring countries, like Sweden, offer ample online gambling, Norwegians have found it easy to continue to bet despite local bans.

Though this is not strictly legal, it has been easily accessible for Norwegians. These other EU licensed casinos advertise to Norwegian players on televised sports matches and offer payments in the local currency, Krone. They also accepted deposits in Krone, from Norwegian banks.

This has changed recently however. A law came into effect banning Norwegian banks from sending payments to foreign betting sites. This has made the situation more challenging for bettors in Norway but they have still found ways around it, some of which we explain in more detail on our online gambling guide for Norwegian players.

The key way that sports betting fans in Norway access the betting they want is by using e-wallets, cryptocurrencies and other methods aside from traditional banks in order to place their online bets with foreign sites. However, this may now become more difficult thanks to the resolution on DNS blocking.

DNS Blocking: Is It Safe For Norwegian Players?

A new bill has been shared in the Norwegian legislature as of October 2023 which would compel internet providers there to use DNS blocking to keep players off of foreign gambling sites. There is much worry amongst players that they will soon not be able to access the best online gambling sites in Norway.

However, we have good news. Though the bill was approved by the cabinet and is entering a discussion period, there are still many steps before it becomes a law – if it ever does. It will first have to get a first and second treatment and then finally be passed into law, if it can meet all requirements along the way.

There is a chance there will be pushback on this idea, since not everyone agrees with Norway’s strict stance against gambling. For example, the summary of Prop. 6 L (2023–2024) mentions Sweden specifically, stating, “The proposal means that the Swedish Lottery Authority can order internet providers to carry out DNS blocking of websites that offer gambling that is aimed at the Norwegian market without permission.”

With this section, the writers of the proposal acknowledge that foreign countries with available online gambling are taking over the market in Norway. They have in fact created a black market via the lack of illegal, unregulated gambling.

Could the Gambling Laws in Norway Change?

We cannot say for certain if and when the current gambling laws in Norway will change. Some large companies behind betting operators have fought the Norwegian government on this under the belief that, by European Union laws, citizens of Norway should have the right to gamble online on registered sites operating in other parts of the European Economic Area.

However, when it comes to Norway’s legal system, the law is firmly on the side of the current monopoly of power in this industry there. The foreign betting agencies have essentially been kicked out after being threatened with extremely high daily fines if they continued to operate in Norway. Companies like ComeOn, Unibet, Betsson and Bet365 have already left or are in the process of leaving their Norwegian operations.

One entity firmly on the side of Norway expanding its betting is the European Gambling and Betting Association (EGBA). EGBA has urged Norway to drop its monopolistic system and offer licensing instead, which is the norm in many other countries. They argue that the current system leaves too much room for the development of a black market in gambling, which can already be seen through the use of foreign betting sites. They also insist that this leaves players even more vulnerable to scam sites and other issues, since they turn to illegal sites instead of a state-licensed one to fulfill their betting wishes.

Of course, it is an economic issue as well, since gambling happening legally within the country can be registered and taxed, but foreign sites are not. Still, this issue does not seem to tempt Norway’s government as much, due to the country’s relatively high wealth. Its economy is not in need of a dire boost that could be provided by taxation of gambling, as is a motivator in other parts of the world.

The History of Gambling in Norway

Gambling was not always as strictly regulated in Norway as we see now. In the ’90s, slots were commonly available. You could find them in many locations, not only specific gambling halls or casinos. Bars, gas stations and even regular shops offered slot machines across the whole of Norway. So what changed?

By the early ’00s, it was learned that more than half of gambling expenditure was generated via slot machines. Though this was great for those operating slots, it was not good for Norway’s other gambling entities, namely Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto (the entity for betting on horse races). It was also thought that the availability of these machines was leading to problem gambling and needed to be curtailed. As a result, slot machines were banned in 2007. However, by 2009, Norway did allow for video terminals which are basically a digital alternative to slots.

Poker is also not widely available in Norway, though there are some loopholes for getting to play. For example, charities can organize tournaments in order to raise money, but they must apply and be approved for a special license in order to do so. In the last six years or so, it has also been allowed for people to organize small, private games at home.