• Norway’s leading regulators have come together to address problems related to gambling-related harm
• Emerging and persistent issues that affect young people and are tied to gambling need to be addressed, the regulators argue
• Norway continues to operate a monopoly-based gambling model, but argues that only a small percentage of people engage with offshore operators

Regulators in Norway have found a common cause, rallying around a proposition to protect young people from gambling-related harm, as calls placed with the national gambling helpline have been increasing as well.

Norwegian regulators join efforts to help protect young consumers

Norwegian Lottery Authority, Consumer Authority, and Media Authority are helping to address some of the outstanding problems that consumers in the market face, with the majority of people (64%) who have reached out for help reporting that they developed an issue after playing online casino games.

Another issue that the regulator has raised is the role of video gaming in potentially contributing to gambling-related harm. Mechanisms such as in-game purchase and loot boxes, and even skin betting, have all been suggested to contribute in a way to addiction among young people.

The new push by the regulators will seek to improve safeguards for young people across several areas, including restricting advertisements as well as targeting illegal gambling websites.

Norway is one of a few markets in Europe that remains based on a monopoly model, where all gambling is concentrated in the hands of the state, through Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto.

However, this model has come under assault by observers, but the gambling regulator, Lottstift, suggested earlier this year that the number of players gambling with offshore websites is relatively small, around 3.8% or 169,000 people.

Norwegian Consumer Authority Director Bente ?verli had this to say, commenting on the need for a firmer response:

"Gambling and purchases have become a larger part of computer games. We see that computer games are being filled with old tricks we know from casino games, and this exposes children and young people to risk."

Lottstift also recently acknowledged that its tip-off service had been malfunctioning for 15-odd months, with the regulator appealing to anyone who has submitted a tip to the watchdog in that period to do so again.

Regulators want to address emerging and persisting issues

An estimated 500 tips may have been missed by the regulator, based on the available data and extrapolation.

Lottstift Director Atle Hamar said that the watchdog was aware of cases where children had gambled thousands of kroner, the national currency.

"Those who gamble online must receive better protection than today, and the gambling industry must take greater responsibility," he explained.

The regulators will seek to, in the meantime, provide educational resources for young people as well as increase supervision and help with prevention efforts, and specifically address sensitive issues and areas where the regulators may not have much experience individually – such as the role that video game mechanics could play a role in exacerbating gambling-related harm in young people.

Image credit: Unsplash.com