Best 131 Online Casino​s in Norway

The state started controlling pretty much all gambling-related activities around 1902. During this time, the government became the majority owner of the two licensed companies that can offer gambling services to the residents of Norway - Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. Any gambling activities that were not under the regulation of these two companies were considered illegal.

The Totalisator Act was established in 1927 and it permitted Norsk Rikstoto to control horse racing and allow the players to bet on this sport via the company. Additionally, the Gaming Act, which was brought in 1992, gave Norsk Tipping a monopoly over lotteries, keno, and sports betting. As time passed by, the Norwegian lawmakers also permitted Norsk Tipping to host online poker for the residents.

Not only that but ever since 2008, online gambling has been also declared illegal. But, the state is tolerant of its residents, which is why it did not pursue the people who were registering and playing at off-shore sites. Instead, they came up with a different approach – they will go after the operators by fining them. But, even though all operators who operate in Norway face penalties, many of them still continue to accept players from this region.

To make things even more complicated, the Payment Act, which was brought in 2010, forbade the banks to allow Norwegian players to use credit and debit cards for deposits and withdrawals at online casinos.

These days, even though gambling is mostly illegal in Norway, many of its residents are more than happy to take part in these activities. Research has shown that up to 10% of the population accesses online casinos regularly. Since the government is tolerant, it does not pursue them, hence they face no penalties.

Furthermore, even though credit and debit cards cannot be used as payment methods, many online casinos accept numerous other payment methods, and in most cases, Norwegians use e-wallets such as Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal to complete both types of transactions at these platforms.

People can also place bets online, but only through the state-owned company. Placing bets at other online bookmakers is still considered illegal, but then again, the government will not pursue the players who are accessing foreign sites.

All of this suggests that even though Norway prohibits gambling in most forms, the people are still keen on accessing casino sites, and they gamble quite often. That is why the Norwegian government is finally starting to think to change the regulations for this industry.

As of 2021, the future of online casinos in Norway looks promising. The government has finally realized that even though they can prohibit online gambling, they cannot stop people from accessing off-shore sites. After all, Norwegians are extremely fond of the idea of gambling. Not only that, but even though the lawmakers passed the Payment Act which made it illegal to deposit and withdraw funds with credit and debit cards, the players found alternatives by using e-wallets such as Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal.

With all of these factors into play, it is extremely likely that the government will amend the law and make online casinos legal, thus allow private companies to obtain a license and offer gambling services to the people, which will ultimately lead to a break of the monopoly that is currently held by Norsk Rikstoto and Norsk Tipping.

Casinos in Norway are partially legal and here’s why. The only two companies that are allowed to offer any kinds of gambling services to the residents of this country are Norsk Rikstoto and Norsk Tipping. Norsk Rikstoto controls all types of lotteries, keno, slots, and sports betting. On the other side, Norsk Tipping is the only company that can provide people with betting on horse races.

These two companies have both land-based and online platforms through which people can play/bet on the selected games. No other operator – land-based or online is allowed to offer any types of gambling services to the people as they are considered illegal.

However, Norwegian players often visit off-shore operators and access all the latest casino games on these sites. Even though this activity has been deemed illegal ever since 2008, the players face no charges for registering at these sites as the government does not pursue them. Instead, it goes after the operators. Nevertheless, even though the penalties for operators can be harsh, they are still willing to accept Norwegian players. As for the laws that regulate gambling activities in Norway, they are the following:

• The Gaming Scheme Act of 1992
• Totalisator Act of 1927
• Lottery Act of 1995 These three acts contain regulations for both land-based and online casinos. The Gaming Scheme Act oversees all activities that Norsk Tipping has. They include betting on all sports except horse racing, gaming machines, lotteries, etc. The Totalisator Act states that betting on horses is legal in Norway but the only company that can provide people with this type of service is Norsk Rikstoto. Finally, the Lottery Act covers the lotto and all of the regulations concerning this game. According to the Lottery Act, it is prohibited to provide the players of Norway with this game without a license. Only organizations that have humanitarian purposes are eligible for this type of gambling license. Hence, no commercial operator can obtain a license from the Gaming Authority of Norway. It is worth mentioning that the definition of lottery in Norway includes traditional casino games, betting, slots, bingo, and traditional lotteries. Finally, one of the most recent laws that were passed was the Payment Act. According to this law, Norwegians are not allowed to use credit and debit cards as payment methods at online casinos.

  Norwegian Players Favourite Games

  Norwegian players have tons of games that they consider their favourite. As stated earlier, as much as 10% of the population frequently visits online casinos to play the latest gambling games by some of the world’s most reputable providers. With that being said, the one game that can be picked as the favourite is poker.

The reason why poker is the most preferred casino game is that this is one of the few actual casino games that Norwegian players can play at the legal operators in Norway. Ever since 2015, people are even allowed to play poker at home, as long as they follow the rules. They are: the group of people must be from the same region, the number of players cannot exceed 10, the amount of money by each player cannot exceed 1,000 NOK (the Norwegian currency), and finally – the game must take place in a private home and cannot have a professional mark.

Next up, we have lotteries. These games have been legal ever since the 20th century. The state-owned Norsk Tipping is the only operator that has a license to organize these games for gambling reasons only. Other companies that can provide lottery games to the people must be some kinds of charitable/humanitarian organizations.

Sports betting and horse racing betting are also extremely popular. Norsk Rikstoto is the only licensed company that can provide players with horse racing betting services. Sports betting is operated by Norsk Tipping.

Even though these two companies are the only licensed companies in Norway and only they can provide the residents with these types of games when it comes to land-based gambling, Norwegian players can access online casinos which are owned by foreign operators and play all of the aforementioned casino games at any time and place. The good thing about online casinos is that they are fully optimized for mobile and desktop use and players can access them from any device.

Speaking of online casino games, Bitcoin games have started to gain popularity in the recent period as they provide players with a unique gaming experience. All of these games come with HD graphics and fantastic gameplay. Considering the fact that Bitcoin has been on the rise and Norwegian players became fond of using it as a payment method, they get an extra feature as Bitcoin games can only be accessed if the player makes a deposit with this cryptocurrency.

One thing that is worth a mention on this topic is that whenever Norwegian players access online casinos to play the latest poker games, lotteries, etc., they are always checking to see which game providers have supplied the chosen online casino.

They are always looking for reputable game providers as they are synonymous with quality casino games that will provide them with a pleasant gaming experience. With that being said, some of the brands that they are looking for at an online casino are Quickspin, Play’n GO, Playson, NetEnt, Yggdrasil, Red Tiger Gaming, Microgaming, and iSoftBet. Every single one of these providers creates high-quality games in almost every category that players can think of.

If players from Norway make a deposit with Neteller or Skrill, they might end up not being able to claim the casino’s bonuses. That is why the first need to check the terms and conditions of the online casino before picking their desired payment method.

With that being said, welcome bonuses are the most preferred casino bonus in Norway. Since many people indulge in these activities, and there are new players that register at casino sites each day, all of them can claim a handsome welcome bonus once the process of registration is complete and the players meet the terms and conditions. Welcome bonuses offer players match deposit bonuses and Free Spins which can be used on selected slot games. With Free Spins, people play to win real money rewards without making a deposit for the game.

Daily bonuses are also extremely popular as research showed that more than 10% of the population frequently visits online casinos and with daily bonuses, they can receive rewards for each day of the week.

Free Bets and all bonuses connected to sports betting and horse racing betting also deserve a mention as they are popular for Norwegian players. Out of all, cashback bonuses are the most preferred.

As stated earlier, credit and debit cards have been prohibited and Norwegian players cannot use them as a payment method at online casinos ever since the Payment Act was brought. That is why they must search for alternatives that will allow them to deposit and withdraw money with ease and without facing any penalties.

The easiest way to do that is to use e-wallets. That is why e-wallets such as Neteller, Skrill, and PayPal are by far the most popular payment methods in Norway. But, when depositing and withdrawing money with Neteller and Skrill, players often face a few obstacles. First, they may be charged with some fees, especially when it comes to withdrawals. Not only that, but many online casinos consider these two payment methods as ineligible for casino bonuses. So, when people use them to deposit money, they often cannot claim bonuses and promotions.

All of the cons that come with e-wallets have been fixed with Bitcoin. This cryptocurrency managed to become one of the most commonly used payment methods as it provides the players with all of the advantages from e-wallets, but also from credit and debit cards.

First off, deposits and withdrawals with Bitcoin are instant. Not only that, but no fees are charged to people that use Bitcoin as a payment method. After all, the fact that users are able to avoid all fees is one of the biggest advantages that Bitcoin has. Lastly, Bitcoin is a very secure payment method as it provides the players with a certain level of anonymity, thus it increases their overall online security.

Other less popular methods for Norwegian players include Paysafecard and Webmoney.