Norway Ranks Second in Online Gambling Despite State Monopoly
Almost one in three Norwegian internet users bet online in a month, a GWI survey shows, while the regulator has blocked 238 unlicensed sites and plans to block 62 more.
· 2 min · 2 min read
Norway has the second-highest online gambling rate of 48 countries in a GWI survey, where 31.2% of its internet users aged 16 and older said they used a gambling or betting site or app in the past month.
That is four times the worldwide figure of 7.8%, in a country where state-controlled companies run the legal market. Only South Africa, at 32.3%, ranked higher in the Visual Capitalist ranking, which draws on GWI's 2025 survey published in the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report.
The Survey Counts Players, Not Losses
The figures show how many people gambled online, not how much they staked or whether they gambled in a harmful way.
Source: Visual Capitalist (adapted)
Greece placed third at 25.8%. It is the country where the regulator is hiring 40 inspectors to chase an illegal market. New Zealand came fourth at 24.0%, as it prepares to shut out unlicensed offshore casinos on Dec. 1.
The United Kingdom recorded 19.6%. The U.S. came in at 10.2%, and South Korea was last at 2.7%.
Norway Blocks the Sites It Will Not License
Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto control Norway's main gambling products, and Norsk Tipping sets mandatory loss limits. Since Jan. 1, 2025, the Norwegian Gambling Authority has ordered internet providers to block unlicensed gambling sites.
It has blocked 238 sites run by 72 companies. Another 71 sites changed so they no longer target Norway. Norwegian banks must also stop payments to and from unlicensed operators, so players there risk never receiving their winnings, the authority warns.
A VPN or a change of DNS settings can get around the block. Atle Hamar, the authority's director, told broadcaster TV 2 that the measure still works on ordinary Norwegian players once access and payments get harder.
The authority sent notice in September 2026 that it plans to block 62 more sites. TV 2 reported that Polymarket and Kalshi are among the companies named and had until Oct. 15 to respond. As of Oct. 26, the authority's website showed no final decision on the new round.
Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.
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