Norway takes new steps in promoting responsible gambling during the global pandemic

The gambling industry is expanding time by time and has already made quite a big progress in the popularization of casino games. The operators try to make the industry very diverse and attract more customers. The competition is increasing as the business is very lucrative and everyone wants to have a small share in it.

The traditional gambling industry has been popular for dozens of years already, with millions of players on its account. Online gambling is the product of the previous decade, which managed to not only survive but also get in the center of attention very quickly.

Just like traditional gambling, online gambling also has its opposers and supporters. Some countries are more tolerable towards online gambling than others. This is due to several reasons and due to the overall direction of the country and the economic interest. Some countries welcome online gambling and have very soft regulations, which only create the legal framework for the fair market operation. Others, simply ban online gambling or have monopolized it completely.

On this note, we should mention Norway, which is one of those countries having the online gambling industry completely monopolized. Norway is very strict in relation to online gambling and has severe regulations, which do not allow any foreign businesses to operate in the local market. Moreover, the country has completely monopolized the online gambling industry with only two official players.

Gambling in Norway

Due to the severe regulations and strict market rules, online gambling in Norway is definitely not the leading industry. Though, according to Norsk Casino Online, the industry has gained a lot more attention from the regular and the first time industry through the last year. A similar tendency is observed in many other countries as well.

Because of the global pandemic, people have been locked in houses. The gathering spots are now closed and gathering in large amounts is also prohibited. There are a few available entertainment options for the people who love to gamble and online gambling is definitely one of them. People who now sit at home play way more than they used to. And the numbers are evidence.

While from one side it is definitely good and the sphere is developing this way, from the other side it is something that makes the government worrisome. The increased intensity of online gambling means that people are spending more money on it. During the global pandemic and the massive unemployment crisis, this does not sound to be the most rational decision.

Moreover, when the stay home and social distancing policy is itself already quite stressful, people have another thing to worry about, which is problem gambling and gambling addiction. In order to prevent all of this, Norway just like the UK, and some more European countries have introduced new limitations and restrictions to the industry.

Personal self-exclusion

The UK has introduced a Gamban self-exclusion software solution for gamblers who want to give up on gambling. The software is considered to be one of the best solutions for the problem gamblers and addicts. Thus, the government found it worth sharing, and now, Norway is the second in the row to try it.

Gamban has entered into the first partnership outside of the UK after agreeing on a deal to be working with Norwegian state-owned operator Norsk Tipping. Norsk Tipping is one of the above-mentioned two state-owned operators offering online gambling services in Norway. According to the agreement, players will be able to use Gamban’s free software to block themselves from accessing gaming websites and applications locally.

Gamban also enables players to ban themselves not only from Norsk Tipping or Norsk Rikstoto, which is the second state-owned betting operator in the country but also to ban themselves from any other online gaming website which accepts Norwegian players. Because of the strict regulations and limits, there are many online casinos that are unregulated and unlicensed but still accept Norwegian players.

There have been many tries and initiatives in order to prevent the further expansion of unregulated online gambling providers, but players still manage to find and play with them. Gamban will partially solve this problem as well. The software enables players to ban themselves from any website which offers gaming services for a specific time. This can be one year, several months, or even forever.

Players can choose to self-exclude for 180 days, one year, three years, or five years, with the blocker running across all devices. Users do not need to be a Norsk Tipping customer in order to access the blocking feature. Gamban blockers will stop customers accessing from all gaming websites, including the ones that operate in Norway without a license.

In order to access the software players do not have to be registered with Norsk Tipping or Norsk Rikstoto, it is enough to register on the platform and no access shall be granted for any kind of gaming website. Moreover, the software also blocks any kind of gambling-related advertisement or promotion.

New supplement to responsible gambling

Bjorn Helge, who is the Norsk Tipping’s head of responsible gambling said that the Gamban shall be a valuable addition to the Norsk’s exclusion system. He also outlined the importance of protection and privacy policy. Helge said that the Gamban’s blocking software will be offered alongside Norsk Tipping’s existing responsible gambling measures, including loss limits.

Although this is not the first step made by the government in promoting responsible gambling, it should be one of the most effective ones. Previously the limits to the monthly and daily losses have also been changed. Back in December 2020, Norsk Tipping reduced the maximum monthly loss limit on the high-risk games by 25%. For now, this is only a temporary measure.

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