Norwegian regulator investigates Norsk Tipping: Rules broken

Norwegian regulator Lotteritilsynet is investigating whether state-owned gambling company Norsk Tipping has broken the rules. The problem? Some players were unable to block themselves from the gambling app.

This means that even if they wanted to take a break from gambling, they could not exclude access to the app. Norsk Tipping reported the problem themselves, but now it remains to be seen whether something really went wrong according to Norwegian law.

What went wrong with the self-exclusion?

According to a letter obtained by Norwegian news agency NTB, Norsk Tipping itself raised the alarm with the regulator in June. Apparently, some players who chose to exclude themselves temporarily or permanently were unable to do so via the app.

This is of course a serious problem, because Norwegian law clearly states that every player must have the option to block themselves or take a break from gambling.

What does the law say?

In Norway, Article 9 of the Gambling Act states that every provider of registered gambling services must give players the opportunity to exclude themselves from gambling, or take a time-out. This means that a player must be able to choose to take a break or a complete ban at any time.

And the break cannot simply be undone before the chosen period has passed. A complete ban can only be lifted after at least one year.

Lotteritilsynet investigates possible violation

According to Anya Markhus, senior advisor at Lotteritilsynet, the case is still at an early stage. She told NTB that it is not yet clear whether Norsk Tipping has actually violated the law, but that they are taking it seriously. They want to investigate further what exactly happened and whether a fine or other measures are necessary. “We can only say more when we have more details,” she added.

Norsk Tipping: the problem has been solved

Norsk Tipping also made itself heard and said that the problem has now been solved. According to Anne Marit Sletten, communications advisor at the company, the problem dates back a while and they have since corrected the error. Sletten emphasized that Norsk Tipping itself informed Lotteritilsynet about the problem.

“We want to make it completely clear and that is why we are cooperating with the investigation,” she told NTB.

Norsk Tipping must now send all kinds of documents and information to the supervisor. In this way, they want to get a complete picture of how many players were affected by the problem between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, and what measures have been taken to solve it.

Jackpot problem is still fresh in the memory

This investigation comes at a bad time for Norsk Tipping, which has previously been in disrepute. The company was recently fined NOK 4.5 million (approximately 380,000 euros) for accidentally paying out a jackpot that was too high.

At Norsk Tipping’s online casino, KongKasino, things went wrong: they paid out a jackpot of NOK 25 million, while the limit is actually NOK 5 million. According to Norsk Tipping, it was a technical error that they only discovered later. They have until October 18 to appeal this decision.