LeoVegas Becomes a Member of Norwegian Gambling Operator Association

Norwegian Industry Association for Online Gaming (NBO) has welcomed LeoVegas as their latest member. This body is currently advocating a huge overhaul of Norway’s gambling regulations.

NBO was established only 18 months ago and is led by Carl Fredrik Stenstrom. The organization consists of five members - LeoVegas joined Benson Group, ComeOn, Kindred Group and GiG, who were the founding organizations.

Important Signal

Comments Stenstrom who is also an ex-commercial director for Norway’s horse racing monopoly Norsk Rikstoto:

“This is an important signal we have worked well in the association’s first year.”

Hans Uhrus, LeoVegas communications director, has said that his company was impressed by the organization’s capability to establish themselves as a serious group with a weight in the gaming debate so quickly.

“We are impressed with the work that has been done, and will now joint the association to strengthen this importance alliance. By standing together against the monopoly policy, we can hopefully work out a solution that can address the need for a new and modern gaming policy.”

Outdated System

NBO is hoping that Norway will abandon its current gambling monopoly, which is held by Norsk Rikstoto and Norse Tipping the exclusive rights to organize gambling. They want to adapt the licensing scene that allows all operators.

It says that the current framework, which has seen several offshore providers target Norwegian players, only results in reduced funding for sporting and cultural projects, and weaker safeguards for problem gamblers.

There was a study which regulator Lotteritilsynet commissioned and that University of Bergen carried out that said that over 55,000 people across the country have gambling problems, which is a vast increase since 2015’s 34,000.

NBO sees this as a job poorly done by Norsk Tipping and Rikstoto.

Stenstrom went on to explain that “in a modern world with access to games from all over the world, it is much better for everyone to create a Norwegian licensing system that regulates and controls all the players - not just Norsk Tipping and Rikstoto.”

No Dice

The Government of Norway hasn’t responded well to this initiative and it seems likely they want to preserve the current model. It even submitted the gambling legislation that unifies the Lottery Act, Gambling Act and Totalisator Act and presented this to European Commission this month.

Norsk Tipping’s head of responsible gambling Bjorn Helge Hoffmann said that University of Bergen’s study was the reason to preserve and strengthen the monopoly and not abandon it.

Source:

“LeoVegas joins Norwegian igaming association”, focusing.com, August 25th, 2020.