Norway has laid out a comprehensive four-year action plan that starts this year and runs up until 2029. Its aim is to prevent and treat problem gambling. The scheme will emphasise prevention campaigns, expand treatment services, and strengthen its research agenda.

Unlike regulatory reforms, the measures focus on public information, treatment capacity, and evidence-building rather than changing legal gambling access, age restrictions, or betting limits. Officials stress that the plan’s primary goal is to reduce the number of people developing gambling-related problems, with protecting vulnerable groups prioritised over commercial interests.​
 

Target groups​

Children and young people aged 9 to 25 are the main priority. Research links adolescents between 12 and 17 to gambling-style activities such as loot boxes and in-game skins. Other vulnerable groups include athletes, people in custody, individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions, those outside education or employment, and people with previous gambling issues.​

Based on the recent surveys, 1–2 percent of the population have problems with gambling. Meanwhile, another 3 percent are considered at risk. Annual helpline calls, for one, consistently cite financial distress, family conflict, and mental health concerns, according to several media reports.

Online formats like sports betting and casino games highlight the highest rates of problematic play compared to land-based gambling.

Youth and online gamblers are disproportionately represented, according to reports from the University of Bergen and Norsk Tipping. Additionally, studies from The Lancet show that 17-year-olds are particularly at risk, especially to gambling-style mechanics in video games.
 

Prevention measures​

The scheme will include school and club outreach for children, digital campaigns, and guidance for adults. Educational programmes will help young people recognise gambling-like elements in digital games, while prevention materials will be distributed through youth-focused portals such as un.no and snakkompspill.no, as well as social media.​

Parents, educators, coaches, healthcare professionals, probation officers, prison staff, employers, and bank employees will receive tools and training to spot early warning signs of gambling harm.​
 

Strengthening support services​

The scheme will also focus on low-threshold services. Hjelpelinjen, Norway’s gambling helpline, for instance, will expand with improved accessibility, including chat services tailored to younger audiences. Free, remote, 12-week telephone-based treatment programmes will also be offered without requiring a general practitioner (GP)’s referrals.​
 

Coordinated approach​

Responsibilities have already been clearly defined across agencies, including Lotteritilsynet (Gambling Authority), Medietilsynet (Media Authority), and Helsedirektoratet (Directorate of Health). The Norwegian Film Institute and voluntary organisations, for instance, are set to collaborate on outreach related to gaming culture and support services.​

National coordination will be strengthened by integrating gambling harm into broader public health frameworks. The Directorate of Health and regional competence centres (KORUS) will extend their reach into municipal and local services, including prisons, where gambling-related debt among inmates has been identified.​
 

Wider context

There has been a renewed interest in Norway’s state-owned operator Norsk Tipping. Recently, technical issues, including incorrect lottery payouts and problems with Eurojacketpot, have resulted in regulatory penalties. Additionally, reports of their shortcomings in platform performance and user experience have raised questions about whether the country’s monopoly model is strong enough to meet consumer protection objectives.

 

 

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