Norway: regulator pushes for 100% account-based play
Lotteritilsynet has said allowing account-based play only would improve player protection.
Norway.- The Norwegian gaming regulator Lotteritilsynet has said that player protection could be improved in the country by allowing account-based gambling only.
Responding to a consultation on regulatory reforms by the Ministry of Culture, Lotteritilsynet suggested that all products should be made accessible only once players have registered for an account.
It said that for the Norwegian monopoly operators Norsk Rikstoto and Norsk Tipping to ensure a high standard of consumer protection, they needed to have a complete view of each user’s gambling activity.
The proposal comes as Norway’s neighbours Finland and Denmark move towards account-based play only for an increasing range of products.
In Denmark, Danske Spil has begun a trial of a player ID card that will become compulsory from the end of the month for its sports betting products. In Finland, Veikkaus is piloting account-based play for slot machines.
Norway’s Ministry of Culture launched a consultation on gaming regulation in June as part of its preparation to streamline its current Lottery Act, Gambling Act and Totalisator Act into a single piece of legislation.
The new law is subject to a European Commission standstill period until November 13.
In its response, Lotteritilsynet also suggested that a provision should be added to the new legislation to explicitly state that state-controlled Norsk Tipping is the only operator allowed to offer online casino games, because these required “special public controls”.
It said such games are associated with problem gambling and could only be deemed safe when offered under Norsk Tipping’s strict player protection standards.
On the other hand, it has called for a more flexible approach to small non-profit organisations, saying that businesses with turnover of less than NOK200,000 should be allowed to operate digital platforms without a licence.
It also called for Norsk Rikstoto to be allowed to launch fixed-odds race betting products in order to avoid players turning to illegal operators.
