Norway reviews illegal gambling after 81 million estimated site visits

Norway is preparing to reassess its approach to illegal gambling after an investigation by public broadcaster NRK highlighted the scale of online casino traffic originating from Norwegian users. The investigation identified hundreds of websites with Norwegian-language features and reported an estimated 81 million visits from Norway over a 12-month period.

The findings have renewed questions about whether existing restrictions are sufficiently effective in preventing unlicensed gambling operators from reaching Norwegian consumers. They have also prompted renewed political scrutiny of the resources allocated to enforcement and the ability of regulators to respond to changing online technologies.

Lubna Jaffery, Norway's Minister of Culture and Equality, has confirmed that the government intends to review the existing regulatory framework. The evaluation will examine the effectiveness of measures designed to restrict access to gambling websites that are not authorised to operate in Norway.

The announcement comes almost two years after the country's DNS-blocking regulations entered into force. Although the government maintains that its regulatory framework provides several ways to address illegal gambling, the latest findings have highlighted the importance of evaluating how those measures operate in practice.

NRK investigation highlights extensive casino activity

The investigation by NRK focused on online casino websites associated with operators licensed in Curaçao and their potential exposure to the Norwegian market.

In April 2026, NRK joined an international investigative collaboration examining information obtained by researcher Lilith Wittmann from Curaçao's gambling authorities in December 2025.

The investigation identified 782 online casino websites containing some form of Norwegian-language adaptation. These included websites that incorporated Norwegian language or other features indicating a possible connection with the country's gambling market.

The investigation also identified at least 130 gambling companies that had explicitly included Norway as a target market in their applications or business plans.

Traffic analysis indicated that the 782 websites generated more than 81 million estimated visits from Norway during the preceding year. One website alone reportedly accounted for more than 53 million estimated visits.

These figures attracted considerable attention because Norway already operates a restrictive gambling framework intended to protect consumers and limit unauthorised gambling activity.

However, the reported figures require careful interpretation. They represent estimated website traffic rather than a verified count of individual players, gambling sessions or financial transactions. Repeated visits and activity involving landing pages may also influence the estimates.

Furthermore, the identification of a website during an investigation does not automatically establish that every listed operator has committed a legal violation. Norwegian authorities assess individual websites against the applicable regulatory requirements before taking enforcement action.

Nevertheless, the findings have raised important questions about the visibility of foreign gambling websites and the challenges involved in monitoring online activity across international jurisdictions.

Lubna Jaffery requests a regulatory assessment

Following the investigation, several politicians questioned Lubna Jaffery about whether the existing enforcement framework provides sufficient protection against illegal gambling.

Their concerns focused on the effectiveness of restrictions already introduced, the resources available to the regulator and the possibility that some websites continue reaching Norwegian consumers despite existing blocking measures.

Jaffery responded by confirming that she would ask the Norwegian Gambling Authority to evaluate the current arrangements and consider whether regulatory adjustments could improve enforcement.

She stated:

“I am now asking the Lottery and Foundations Authority to review and evaluate the impact of any changes we can make to regulations to ensure that we avoid exploiting vulnerable groups.”

The proposed assessment is intended to examine the practical impact of regulatory measures and identify opportunities to improve their effectiveness.

Protecting vulnerable consumers remains a central objective of Norwegian gambling policy. The government has repeatedly maintained that restrictions on unauthorised gambling are necessary to reduce exposure to potentially harmful products and preserve the country's established gambling model.

Jaffery has also indicated that DNS blocking should not be considered independently of the other measures available to authorities. Payment restrictions and advertising prohibitions form part of the wider approach to limiting unauthorised gambling activity.

The review therefore provides an opportunity to consider whether these measures work effectively together and whether additional adjustments are necessary as the online gambling environment evolves.

DNS blocking has been in operation since January 2025

Norway introduced its DNS-blocking framework on 1 January 2025. The measure gives the Norwegian Gambling Authority the power to instruct internet service providers to restrict access to websites offering gambling without the required authorisation to target the Norwegian market.

DNS blocking works by preventing a domain name from directing users to the intended website through the relevant internet service provider. Instead, users attempting to reach a restricted website are redirected to an information page explaining that access has been blocked.

The measure is intended to make unauthorised gambling websites more difficult to access while communicating the regulatory status of the services concerned.

The Norwegian framework also establishes criteria for determining whether an operator is targeting the domestic market. These include the availability of Norwegian-language services, the acceptance of Norwegian kroner and the use of Norwegian contact details or promotional material.

Customer support in Norwegian and advertising directed at Norwegian consumers can also contribute to the assessment.

Importantly, the regulator considers individual websites and their circumstances rather than relying exclusively on the language displayed on a particular page.

This distinction is relevant for operators attempting to withdraw from the Norwegian market. Simply changing a website's language from Norwegian to English does not necessarily establish that the business has stopped targeting local consumers.

Although DNS blocking provides regulators with an additional enforcement mechanism, the technology has limitations. Users may sometimes access restricted websites through alternative technical arrangements, including virtual private networks. Operators may also change domain names or redirect visitors to alternative addresses.

These limitations have become an important part of the discussion surrounding the effectiveness of Norway's regulatory approach.

Regulator reports progress with website restrictions

Despite concerns about circumvention and the scale of online traffic, the Norwegian Gambling Authority has continued expanding its enforcement activities.

Its published information in November 2026 indicates that 238 foreign gambling websites belonging to 72 companies have been blocked. The authority has also issued warnings concerning another 62 websites.

Additionally, 71 websites reportedly made the necessary changes following regulatory notices so that they were no longer directed at the Norwegian market.

These figures demonstrate that enforcement activity has extended beyond individual blocking decisions. Regulatory warnings have also encouraged some operators to adjust their services or restrict access from Norway.

Under the existing procedure, internet service providers must implement blocking decisions and confirm compliance to the authority within the required timeframe.

The regulator has also reported conducting spot checks to verify whether the websites covered by its decisions have been restricted by the internet providers examined.

However, the number of blocked websites alone cannot establish how much illegal gambling activity has been prevented. A website may change its domain, direct users elsewhere or remain accessible through technical methods that bypass ordinary restrictions.

Consequently, the regulator faces the challenge of measuring not only the number of restrictions imposed but also their actual impact on consumer behaviour.

The distinction between enforcement activity and measurable outcomes is likely to become an important consideration during the forthcoming review.

Payment restrictions remain part of Norway's strategy

DNS blocking is only one component of Norway's wider approach to unauthorised gambling.

The country introduced payment-blocking arrangements in 2010 to prevent financial transfers between Norwegian customers and foreign gambling operators that are not permitted to provide their services domestically.

Norway also introduced restrictions concerning advertising for foreign gambling services. These measures complement the country's licensing framework and are intended to limit the commercial reach of unauthorised operators.

The country's gambling market is structured around an exclusive-rights model. Norsk Tipping has the principal rights to provide major gambling products, including online casino games and sports betting. Norsk Rikstoto has the exclusive rights associated with horse racing and horse trotting.

This arrangement is intended to ensure that gambling activity operates within a framework prioritising consumer protection and the prevention of gambling-related harm.

The government argues that combining payment restrictions, advertising controls and DNS blocking provides a stronger response than relying on website restrictions alone.

The latest parliamentary discussions also indicate that the government considers the combined measures to have produced positive results. According to Jaffery, the proportion of the population reporting gambling with foreign companies declined between 2023 and 2025.

However, these broader indicators do not eliminate questions about the accessibility of individual websites or the effectiveness of particular blocking decisions.

Opposition parties question enforcement effectiveness

The investigation has also intensified political debate about how Norway should measure the success of its gambling restrictions.

Opposition politicians have questioned whether the existing arrangements deliver the expected results when online casino websites can continue attracting substantial estimated traffic.

Some have raised concerns about whether the regulator has sufficient resources and whether additional monitoring procedures are necessary to identify websites that change addresses or otherwise attempt to circumvent restrictions.

The reliability of traffic estimates has also become an important issue.

NRK's reported figures provide an indication of activity across the websites examined. Nevertheless, they should not be interpreted as an exact measurement of the number of Norwegian residents participating in gambling.

The minister has acknowledged uncertainty surrounding the figures. Website traffic estimates can include visits to landing pages and other activity that does not necessarily represent completed gambling transactions.

This makes it difficult to establish a direct relationship between estimated website traffic and the number of people actually gambling with unauthorised operators.

A reliable evaluation will therefore need to consider several indicators, including access restrictions, actual gambling participation, payment activity and changes in the behaviour of operators following regulatory intervention.

Conclusion

Norway's decision to reassess its approach to illegal gambling highlights the growing challenge of regulating online services that operate across international borders.

The reported 81 million estimated visits have brought renewed attention to the limitations of website restrictions and the difficulties involved in measuring the true scale of unauthorised gambling activity. At the same time, the regulator's published enforcement figures demonstrate that the existing framework is already being used to restrict access and encourage operators to adjust their activities.

The forthcoming evaluation will be important in determining whether Norway's regulatory tools remain suitable for an increasingly sophisticated online environment. DNS blocking, payment restrictions and advertising controls each address different aspects of the market, but their overall effectiveness depends on consistent enforcement and reliable monitoring.

Ultimately, the success of Norway's gambling policy should not be judged solely by the number of websites blocked. The more meaningful measure will be whether consumers face fewer opportunities to access gambling services that fall outside the country's regulatory protections.

For policymakers, the challenge is to maintain an effective balance between enforceable regulation, technological adaptability and responsible gambling safeguards. The review could therefore become an important step in determining how Norway approaches illegal gambling in the years ahead.

FAQs

Why is Norway reviewing its illegal gambling regulations?
Norway is reviewing its enforcement framework following an NRK investigation that identified 782 casino websites with Norwegian-language features and reported more than 81 million estimated visits from Norway over one year.

Who announced the review of gambling enforcement measures?
Norway's Minister of Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery, announced that she would ask the Norwegian Gambling Authority to evaluate the existing regulatory arrangements.

How many casino websites did NRK identify?
NRK identified 782 online casino websites with some form of Norwegian-language adaptation. The investigation also found that at least 130 gambling companies had explicitly identified Norway as a target market in relevant documents.

Were the 81 million visits verified individual players?
No. The reported figure is based on estimated website traffic. It does not establish the number of unique players or the number of completed gambling transactions.

When did Norway introduce DNS blocking?
Norway introduced its DNS-blocking framework on 1 January 2025. The measure allows authorities to instruct internet service providers to restrict access to specified gambling websites.

Which authority is responsible for enforcing gambling restrictions in Norway?
The Norwegian Gambling Authority, known as Lotteritilsynet, is responsible for monitoring the market and issuing instructions concerning websites that must be blocked.

How many websites has Norway blocked?
The authority's published information in November 2026 reports 238 blocked websites associated with 72 companies. It has also issued warnings concerning another 62 websites.

Can users bypass DNS blocking?
DNS blocking has technical limitations. Alternative domain names, redirects and virtual private networks may provide ways of circumventing certain restrictions.

Does Norway use measures other than DNS blocking?
Yes. Norway also uses payment-blocking arrangements and advertising restrictions to limit the activities of gambling operators that are not authorised to target its domestic market.

What is the main objective of Norway's gambling regulations?
The principal objective is to protect consumers, reduce gambling-related harm and ensure that gambling services operate within the country's licensing and regulatory framework.