Norway's New DNS Blocking Legislation Aims to Strengthen State Gambling Monopoly

In a bid to bolster its state gambling monopoly, the Norwegian government has approved an amendment to the Gambling Act, introducing DNS blocking measures. This legislation, proposed by the Ministry of Culture and Equality, aims to prevent users from accessing selected websites not operating under the state's jurisdiction. If a user attempts to visit a blocked site, they will be redirected to a landing page explaining the reason for the website's inaccessibility.

Minister for Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery, emphasizes that this move is primarily intended to prevent and reduce gambling-related issues while safeguarding vulnerable players and their families. Jaffery noted, "If the foreign gambling companies had followed Norwegian law, this would not have been imposed on the internet providers. Therefore, we have to regulate this by targeting actors over whom we have jurisdiction."

This development comes on the heels of the government's announcement that unregulated gambling sites could face a ban from 2024. This decision follows Kindred Group's withdrawal from Norway in September. Financial institutions in Norway are already responsible for tracking and stopping transactions linked to illegal gambling. However, the Norwegian Lottery Authority (Lotteritilsynet) has increased its vigilance by monitoring nine banks to ensure compliance.

Henrik Nordal, the director of Lotteritilsynet, supports DNS blocking for unregulated sites, stating that it makes the riskiest gambling games less accessible and, in turn, protects Norwegian players. It also raises awareness among individuals about the risks associated with playing on illegal gambling platforms. DNS blocking serves as an effective preventive measure.

Norway remains one of the few European countries with a state gambling monopoly. Norsk Tipping manages online casino gaming and sports betting, while Norsk Rikstoto covers horse racing. This limited online gambling landscape has attracted criticism from the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). EGBA has urged Norway to transition to a licensing model similar to neighboring Sweden and Finland. According to EGBA's secretary-general, Maarten Haijer, this shift would help combat issues associated with consumers gambling on unlicensed websites.