Norwegian Opposition Figure Calls Gambling Monopoly Irrational as Pressure Builds for Reform

Norway’s decades-old gambling monopoly is facing renewed political scrutiny, with one of the country’s most prominent opposition politicians arguing that the system no longer reflects the reality of how Norwegians gamble.

Speaking at the annual gathering of the Norwegian Trade Association of Online Gambling, Progress Party politician Himanshu Gulati delivered one of the clearest signals yet that a future change in government could reopen the debate over how the country regulates betting and gaming.

Gulati used the event to push for a licensed market model, arguing that discussions around gambling policy have become trapped in ideological positions rather than grounded in evidence. In his view, supporters and opponents of reform should at least be working from the same set of facts when assessing whether the current framework still delivers its intended results.

A central pillar of Norway’s gambling system has long been the argument that monopoly control protects funding streams for sport, voluntary organisations and community activities. Gulati questioned whether that assumption still holds.

He pointed to the growing number of Norwegians who continue to use offshore gambling websites despite the country’s restrictions, suggesting that money is already flowing outside the state-controlled system. If channelisation rates remain low, he argued, policymakers need to examine whether the monopoly structure is still the most effective way to generate revenue for the causes it was originally designed to support.

Questions Over Funding and Market Reality

The criticism extended beyond funding. Gulati argued that Norway is limiting its ability to address gambling-related harm by excluding experienced international operators from the regulated market. He suggested that companies operating across multiple jurisdictions have spent years developing responsible gambling tools and player protection systems that could contribute to stronger safeguards.

The same logic, he said, applies to efforts aimed at combating match-fixing, where cooperation with licensed operators often forms part of wider integrity monitoring systems used across Europe.

His remarks reflected a broader frustration with aspects of Norway’s regulatory approach. Some of the restrictions currently in place, he argued, defy practical reasoning and should be reconsidered. Within the Progress Party, gambling reform has become a long-standing priority, and Gulati indicated that introducing a licensing framework would rank among the party’s most important cultural policy objectives if it were to enter government.

Reform Moves Higher on the Political Agenda

The timing is notable.

The Progress Party has gained momentum in recent polling, with support reaching levels that place it among the country’s strongest political forces. While no immediate policy shift is on the table, the party’s rising popularity increases the visibility of proposals that only a few years ago sat on the margins of Norwegian political debate.

Norway now stands increasingly apart from the rest of Europe on gambling regulation. Most European jurisdictions operate licensed markets that allow private operators to compete under regulatory oversight. State monopolies continue to exist in some countries, though usually in limited segments of the industry rather than across all forms of gambling.

Norway Set to Stand Alone

The contrast will become even sharper in the coming years. Finland, long regarded as one of the few countries maintaining a similar model, has already approved plans to open its gambling market to licensed competition beginning in 2027.

Once that transition takes effect, Norway is expected to be the only country in Europe maintaining a comprehensive monopoly across the entire gambling sector.

That prospect is turning what was once a niche regulatory issue into a broader political question: whether preserving the monopoly still serves its original purpose, or whether the rest of Europe’s shift toward licensing has made Norway the outlier.

Source: sbcnews.co.uk

Norwegian Opposition Figure Calls Gambling Monopoly Irrational as Pressure Builds for Reform

Questions Over Funding and Market Reality

Reform Moves Higher on the Political Agenda

Norway Set to Stand Alone

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