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Norway is not debating whether it should follow Finland in licensing online gambling, according to the head of the Norwegian gambling regulator, but a local online trade group disagrees.

“In Norway, there are no discussions on changing the model yet,” Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority director general Atle Hamar told a panel at ICE 2025 in Barcelona on Tuesday (January 21).

“I need to rely on what the government and parliament's decision is, that's my job. If they decided on a different model, then I would regulate after that model, no problem,” Hamar said.

Hamar added that the authority's data show players channelling back to Norway's regulated market, “including high-rollers”.

“It's possible to bypass regulations, but if you make it difficult to gamble illegally, most will choose Norwegian-regulated, licensed games, and that is what our research and stats are showing,” Hamar said.

Payment blocking, domain name system (DNS) blocking, marketing restrictions and action against unlicenced operators are responsible for driving players back to the regulated market, he said.

Hamar concluded: “Whether you are deregulated or not, you must build a very strong legal framework to protect your market. It's independent of what model you choose.”

However, there is ongoing in the Norwegian parliament's Family and Culture Committee over a proposal to strengthen policies preventing gambling addiction.

At the committee's latest meeting on January 10, Carl Stenstrøm, the secretary general of Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill (NBO) trade group, argued that Norway must re-regulate its gambling market into a licensing model, following in the footsteps of Denmark in 2012, Sweden in 2019 and now Finland.

“I think it is a bit curious that Atle Hamar has not caught on to the ongoing discussion related to the licensing model in Norway,” Stenstrøm told ���ĺ������� GamblingCompliance.

“Both the Progressive Party and the Liberal Party have proposed it in their new party programmes, and in the Conservative Party there is an ongoing discussion with a strong dissent in favour of a licence model,” he said.

Stenstrøm hopes the ongoing debate will ensure fairer regulations for online gambling in Norway, “for the good of Norwegian players”.

“To ensure this, it is important that Atle Hamar and the rest of the Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority take us up on our offer of cooperation going forward,” Stenstrøm said.

Hamar said he will be interested in watching how things unfold in Finland, which he does not believe will be ready to launch its licensing scheme in 2026.

“They need more time to establish a Finnish gambling authority,” he said.