Norway introduces four‑year national plan to tackle gambling harms

(AsiaGameHub) –   Norway’s gambling authority will be involved in a fresh initiative to mitigate gambling-related harms, as the nation continues to uphold its state-controlled gambling system.

Norway.- A four-year national strategy has been unveiled by the Norwegian government to tackle gambling harms. The plan, which will operate from 2026 through 2029, centres on prevention, treatment, and research, but will involve no alterations to the regulatory framework.

Officials stated the objective is to decrease the incidence of gambling problems, emphasising that protecting at-risk populations must take precedence over business concerns. Norway upholds a state monopoly on gambling, with legal options solely provided by Norsk Tipping and the horse race betting company Norsk Rikstoto.

The strategy will target young people between 9 and 25 years old as its primary focus, paying special attention to 12- to 17-year-olds who interact with gambling-like mechanics in video games, including loot boxes and skins. Additional groups identified are athletes, incarcerated individuals, people with neurodevelopmental conditions, those not in education or employment, and individuals with a history of gambling problems.

Prevention work will encompass outreach in schools and athletic associations, online campaigns, and advice for adults. Bodies such as the gambling and media regulators Lotteritilsynet and Medietilsynet, together with the Directorate of Health, Helsedirektoratet, will divide duties, aided by the Norwegian Film Institute and non-profit groups. Educational initiatives will seek to assist youth in identifying gambling components within games, while prevention resources will be circulated via youth-focused websites like ung.no and snakkomspill.no, in addition to social media platforms.

Parents, educators, sports coaches, medical personnel, prison guards, employers, and banking staff will be given training and resources to detect early indicators of trouble. Furthermore, Norway’s gambling helpline, Hjelpelinjen, will introduce chat capabilities, and no-cost remote treatment schemes will remain accessible without requiring a doctor’s referral.

Inside the prison system, personnel will be trained to recognise and address gambling issues among prisoners, who frequently build up debts during their sentences. Collaboration between the Directorate of Health and regional expertise centres (KORUS) will be enhanced to broaden the availability of services at a local level.

Data collection efforts will also be increased, featuring periodic surveys on gambling and gaming activity and a new countrywide investigation specifically into gambling harms. The government additionally intends to hold yearly meetings with operators to underscore their responsible gambling duties. Partnerships with banks and financial firms will be deepened in an effort to stop transactions to unlicensed gambling operators.