Laws & Rules – Can You Join a Norwegian Casino and Play Games Online?

We’ve presented you with information on online casino USA sites, now we turn our focus to the casinos in Norway! If you’re looking for a Norwegian casino to join in 2020 and beyond, then this article covers all the laws of gambling within Norway and how the process works online.

Online Gambling in General

Online gambling is a massive business with massive potential. This is something that you perhaps already know, otherwise, why else would you be here. When it comes to online casinos, there are plenty of opportunities that await amongst the hundred that are open to the Norwegian market.

No two casinos are ever really the same and that is one of the unique beauties behind it. Here we briefly discuss what you can expect to find within the online casinos that you are able to sign up and join today from the vast numbers that are open to Norwegian players looking to win real money from their favourite games online.

Why people gamble online

The gambling circuit is massive, with sports betting and live streaming services entwined into all the standard games we might associate with casinos, the platform is now something of megalithic proportions. It hosts everything a player could want from simple virtual games such as slot machines, through to being able to play inside of live poker tournaments.

Players now prefer and opt to play online now, more so that venturing to any land-based venue to fulfil their enjoyment of playing games for money. This only happened because of the success of mobile gaming. Having a casino in your pocket 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is pretty convenient, rather than planning to venture out to the nearing gambling site, which for the majority of the public, well, in Norway, is somewhat limited.

Gambling online is now completely instant, you have immediate access to online games, instant banking, unbreeched security software and connection to it all the time no matter where you are.

But we are only at the start of all this. The first internet casino went live in 1996, the internet then modified for mobile use in 2015. In 10, 15 years from now, online casinos will have evolved again, and it is only a matter of time that Virtual Reality games will become a normality. So much to look forward too and it won’t be lost to players in Norway wanting to experience this and your search for these Norwegian casinos begins right here.

Casinos in Norway

When it comes to Nordic countries, there is a clear pattern and way of things that lead to lots of confusion about what can and cannot be done in terms of gambling both online and through general means of playing that’s not online.

In Norway, there are two businesses that control the gaming sector. These are Rikstoto and Tipping. They provide horse racing and some local sports betting. It also controls the lottery games within Norway. The two businesses are state-owned and all other forms of gambling in Norway are deemed to be illegal!

Playing in Norwegian online casinos

With a state-owned monopoly over gambling, you would assume the outlook doesn’t seem too optimistic for online casinos and the players wanting to use those services. Well, down be too concerned because here are the facts, should you hear that gambling is illegal online in Norway.

The Norwegian law at no point in its Act defines online gaming from regular gambling activities, without differentiating online from land-based their can be no case made. The tricky part is the law. No government can proactively watch every player and then ask that casino for proof, it is just not going to happen, so there is no way a regulator of gambling in Norway can hold you to account.

The wording of the law is where the confusion comes in. Because of the monopoly, it prohibits foreign casinos to be able to service players in Norway. But this is a fallacy because the law doesn’t actually prohibit people from joining casinos online that are actually registered outside of Norway’s borders. No state, unless you are in North Korea, would think about controlling their citizen’s Internet access. It is not illegal for Norwegians to proactively join these casinos online, and it is not illegal for licensed casinos from other EU or EEA countries to offer their services.

What it all comes down to is a fear of being caught out. If the Norwegian government wants a law in place that says you can only play with our state-owned games, then it’s a clear red flag that they are only doing it for the money, but they can do this, so the laws become vague and confusing, when in reality, they just don’t want you putting the money into another business and they miss out. Especially if you win. In Norway, all winnings must be noted on tax-returns.

Finding an Online Casino

When you venture off to search for your preferred online casino, seeing the numbers can be overwhelming. First things first, note that all online casinos on the Norwegian market are not remote sites, no business inside of Norway is allowed to form a gambling service because of the monopoly. Therefore, all casinos are from overseas. They are built and registered in other EU countries and are licensed by their respective governments. The two biggest ones being the UK Gambling Commission, infamous for their very stringent rules and conditions and the Malta Gaming Authority.

Norwegian gambling at its best

When selecting a casino, it is best to start looking at what games you are wishing to play and to see if the operators are able to meet and go beyond your expectations. Once you have established your preferred sites, it is important to take note of their banking situation. Head to the casino’s banking page to see if they use any of the same services you are able to access. The casinos may be overseas, but you can still play with Krone currency and win it in return, but you want to have the same ability to bank as the casino, otherwise, it may be a case of opening up a whole new payment service just to join.

Should bonuses be of interest to you, then you will be able to access free games from the operator that will reward you from time to time each week, so you have a chance to play your favoured games and win real money for free.

Through some of the sites you will be able to still enjoy sports betting and lotteries, they will, however, been on a larger scale, in the number of games and in size of jackpots and cash to be won. So, you’ll still have your Norwegian games to bet on with better odds provided when it comes to your favourite sport.