Top Online Casinos in Norway

The remote Arctic island called Jan Mayen and the Svalbard archipelago are also part of Norway and this country borders with Sweden to the east, Russia and Finland to the northeast and the Skagerrak Strait to the south. Denmark is located on the other side of the Skagerrak Strait.

Speaking of its well-developed industries, it is worth mentioning that Norway has the fourth-highest income per-capita in the world. Not only that, but Norway also has the highest Human Development Index, the largest sovereign fund, the lowest crime rates, and the highest inequality-adjusted ranking. It is safe to say that Norway is a haven for all those that are looking to have a quality life and freedom.

But, when it comes to gambling, the Kingdom has very restrictive measures. All gambling-related activities are considered illegal for the most part. The only two companies that are allowed to offer gambling services to the people here are Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. Norsk Tipping controls games such as lotteries, sports betting, and keno. Norsk Rikstoto is the only company that has the authority to offer betting on horse races.

These two companies are entirely owned by the state. While some may think that this is against the protocols of the European Union – they are correct, but the catchy thing here is that Norway is not a full member of the EU, which is why they can get away with these types of regulations.

When it comes to online gambling, online casinos are considered illegal in Norway, but the government will not pursue individuals who are looking to play games and place bets on off-shore sites. However, the government will pursue fine operators who are offering their games to the Norwegian players.

Even though this activity is considered illegal, as much as 10% of the population will regularly visit these sites in the search of fun and entertainment.

As for the taxes in Norway, there are no specific regulations that show how much tax should operators pay to the government as both of the companies that are licensed to offer these services to the people are state-owned.

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.

Norwegian players have tons of games that they consider their favorite. 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 favorite 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.

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.

Cryptocurrencies at online casinos in Norway

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.