Progress Party restates intention to end Norway’s gambling monopoly

Himanshu Gulati, a senior politician representing Norway’s Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet, FrP), has signalled a decisive shift in the country’s gambling policy landscape. 

Speaking at the sector’s annual Spillkonferansen gambling conference this week, Gulati predicted Norway’s longstanding gambling monopoly will be dismantled following a change in government.

Gulati, a regular participant at Spillkonferansen, declared that transitioning to a licensing model would be the Progress Party’s foremost policy priority, when it comes to culture, upon returning to power.

“I have for many years said internally in my party that when there is a change of government, the licence model in the gambling field must be the most important cultural political issue for the Progress Party,” Gulati stated during his keynote remarks.

He highlighted the importance of reforming Norway’s tightly controlled gambling environment as a principle rooted in pragmatism and aligned with the party’s broader policy agenda.

The party has long supported a reformed licensing system for gambling in Norway, instead of the current monopoly model. It first called for an end to the current monopoly in 2021.

Speaking at a conference last year, MP Silje Hjemdal said: “We must regulate better, and the way the model is today, there are actually very large sums of money that are sent out of the country every year, without going back to Norwegian sports or culture.”

But today the Progress Party in Norway sits behind only the Labour Party in terms of the number of seats it holds in parliament. In September 2025 the country went to the polls for a general election and the Labour Party was re-elected, winning 28.2% of the vote and 53 seats in parliament.

The Progress Party however made reasonable gains in the election, securing 48 seats (24% of the vote).

Experience home and abroad

Drawing from his experience as a politician, Gulati referenced previous deregulation initiatives pursued by the Progress Party. These included the legalisation of cash poker in Norway approximately a decade ago, and the removal of restrictions that allowed professional athletes, such as boxer Cecilia Brækhus, to compete domestically.

He also cited the scrapping of Norway’s outdated Segway ban as an example of removing antiquated prohibitions, suggesting that gambling legislation should be similarly updated

“Some of the current rules and restrictions are, in my opinion, contrary to all common sense,” he added.

Gulati advocated for fact-based, knowledge-driven discussions surrounding gambling policy. He criticised what he described as a debate overshadowed by unquestioned assumptions about gambling’s social harms and how revenue derived from gambling is allocated.

He stressed that Norway’s monopoly system stands alone in Europe, as markets like Finland and Albania have already moved away from similar models.

Finland’s liberalised iGaming market will launch in 2027. As of last week, 50 operators had applied for licences under the new framework.

Questioning the monopoly’s effectiveness

Finally, Gulati called for a re-examination of the monopoly’s current effectiveness, especially in light of the growth of offshore gambling operators. He emphasised concerns over channelisation, which remains low.

“The question is whether the model we have had for all these years still generates the most money for the purpose,” Gulati asked, referring to the long-held justification that monopoly revenues fund sport and voluntary organisations.

Recent incidents have raised questions about the robustness of Norsk Tipping and its player protection safeguards. These include a technical error that led to incorrect lottery payouts and a separate Eurojackpot-related issue that exposed weaknesses in internal controls, prompting regulatory attention and financial penalties. 

Additionally, concerns have been raised over development and operational quality, with reports highlighting shortcomings in Norsk Tipping’s platform performance and user experience. 

Problem gambling

The politician also identified the absence of coordinated measures to tackle problem gambling. He argued that irrespective of political stance, consistent and cooperative action was essential to combat gambling-related harm.

“Regardless of where one stands politically on gambling policy, even if one wants total prohibition, we must agree that the work to combat problematic gambling behaviour must be coordinated and consistent.”

Norway recently revealed a four-year action plan to prevent and treat problem gambling. The conference’s agenda also highlighted the issue of match-fixing, with Gulati underscoring universal opposition to such corruption. He suggested policy reforms are needed to enhance detection and deterrence mechanisms.