Norway Keeps A Tight Lid on its Gambling Market
Published December 23, 2016 by Lee R
The government’s has decided to maintain its monopoly.
Norway will not be opening its market to international licensees.
Not Answering the Door
The concentrated and potentially lucrative Norway market will remain closed to international competitors after Norway’s Culture Minister Linda Helleland Friday announced the government’s decision not decided not to surrender Norsk Tipping‘s monopoly.
Reasons for Closure
The reason for keeping the controls on according to Helleland was to keep a tight lid on problem gambling activity and ensuring the distribution of gambling revenues to designated social causes.
Study Conclusion
The announcement comes at the conclusion of the Norway government’s study weighing the propriety of abandoning monopolistic tendencies in its gambling market at this time, ultimately concluding that in Norway “an exclusive rights model is still more responsible than a license model, despite the fact that there is some leakage of players to unregulated foreign players.”
Cost of Doing Business
Helleland further explained that any restraints placed by the government upon Norway monopoly Norsk Tipping would end up costing international gaming companies more, projected costs which the Norway government concluded would discourage most operators from entering a regulated Norway market anyway.
Helleland did not specify the costs to international gaming companies.
EveryMatrix Gets In
While operators remain shut out, some iGaming suppliershave found opportunity in Norway. This week Norsk Tipping announced its award of gaming technology supplier EveryMatrix with a six-year provider contract bringing the company's CasinoEngine platform to Norsk Tipping’s online operations, concluding an eight month competition.
Terms of Arrangement
According to terms of the new deal, Norsk Tipping holds options to extend for two-year periods, with EveryMatrix initially providing a slate of casino games from developers including IGT, NetEnt, Scientific Games and Quickspin, with the further possibility of Norsk Tipping importing EveryMatrix’s bingo, social casino, skill games and other gaming options over the length of the contract.
The Split
Revenue will be split amongst EveryMatrix, Norsk Tipping and game developers. Details of the split were not released by the monopoly.
Don’t Hold Your Breath
While decisions and deals are publicly announced, the lack of details indicate the market restrictions will not be loosened anytime soon in Norway’s monopoly market.
