Norwegian media authority upholds ban on TV gambling advertising

The regulator has declined to review its policy on gambling advertising on TV.

Norway.- The Norwegian media regulator Medietilsynet has decided to continue to ban all gambling advertising on TV despite complaints from broadcasters. Telia and Altibox had argued that the ban was contrary to EEA rules.

An amendment to the Broadcasting Act will require broadcasters to revise their schedules of Discovery TV channels (Eurosport, FEM, MAX and VOX) by August 15 and must not show any programmes that feature gambling ads. Telia and Altibox said that this would severely restrict their broadcasting.

They argued that they had entered into distribution deals with Discovery based on EEA rules and that Medietilsynet should have no authority to intervene and no legal justification. Disney has taken legal action against the Ministry of Culture and Gender Equality, and the case has yet to be decided.

However, Medietilsynet director Mari Velsand has warned broadcasters that the August 15 deadline remains in place.

She said: “Advertising is a strong contributing factor to Norwegians playing illegal gambling, which creates a high risk of gambling problems. As the case stands, we believe that there is no basis to postpone the implementation of the decisions. Television advertising for gambling that is not allowed in Norway should be removed as soon as possible.” 

The Norwegian gambling regulator Lottstift welcomed the decision.

Policy director Henrik Nordal said: “TV Advertising is one of the reasons why there are many people with gambling problems in Norway. Six out of ten Norwegians do not know or are unsure of what gambling is allowed and what is not in Norway. It also means that many do not know about the risks involved in playing with these companies.

“Without gambling advertising on television, it will be more difficult for illegal gaming companies to recruit Norwegian players. It is no wonder that many Norwegians believe that these companies are legal when they see their TV commercials.”

Norwegian gambling regulator proposes mandatory break for high-risk games

The Norwegian regulator has said that the state-controlled monopoly gaming operator Norsk Tipping should introduce time limits for its higher-risk online casino games. It proposes a mandatory break after one hour of play.

In its report for Norsk Tipping’s annual general meeting, the regulator said that Norsk Tipping had done good work to tackle problem gambling, highlighting measures such as its introduction of a lower loss limit of NOK5,000 for high-risk games. However, it said restrictions on such games should be tightened further, with mandatory breaks after every hour of play.

It also said that Norsk Tipping should reduce jackpot sizes on its Kongkasino online casino games to avoid them causing dangerous play.

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