Norway unveils four-year action plan to combat youth gambling

(AsiaGameHub) –   The Norwegian government has introduced a detailed four-year strategy designed to prevent and address problem gambling.

Launched on Friday and spanning from 2026 to 2029, the plan brings together coordinated prevention efforts, improved treatment options, and a broader research initiative.

These measures are distinctly non-regulatory. Their focus will be on improving public awareness, boosting treatment availability, and establishing a stronger evidence foundation, instead of changing laws related to gambling access, age limits, or betting caps.

According to the government, the primary objective of the action plan is to reduce the number of people who develop gambling-related issues. Officials emphasized that safeguarding at-risk individuals must be prioritized ahead of commercial concerns.

Children and young adults between the ages of 9 and 25 were designated as the main target group. Research has connected individuals aged 12 to 17, in particular, to gambling-like activities such as using loot boxes and skins in video games.

Additional groups were also highlighted. The programme will also focus on athletes, incarcerated individuals, people with neurodevelopmental conditions, those not in education or employment, and individuals with a history of gambling problems.

Preventions for child gambling

Central prevention strategies in the programme involve outreach to schools and clubs for young people, alongside digital campaigns and advice for adults.

The action plan assigned specific roles to key agencies: Lotteritilsynet (Gambling Authority), Medietilsynet (Media Authority), and Helsedirektoratet (Directorate of Health).

The Norwegian Film Institute and various volunteer organizations will collaborate on initiatives related to gaming culture and support services.

Educational initiatives for schools, youth clubs, and sports clubs will be implemented to help young people recognize gambling-like features in digital games.

Prevention materials will be disseminated through popular youth-oriented online portals like ung.no and snakkomspill.no, as well as social media. This includes specific campaigns for 16 to 25-year-olds about the risks and legalities of gambling.

Resources and training for spotting early indicators of gambling harm will be provided to parents, educators, coaches, healthcare workers, probation and prison officers, employers, and bank staff.

The plan also gave priority to upgrading existing easily accessible services. This involves expanding Hjelpelinjen, Norway’s gambling helpline, with better access features such as chat functions designed for younger users.

It will also maintain the provision of free, remote, usually 12-week telephone treatment programmes that can be accessed without a referral from a general practitioner.

The strategy will be aligned with Norway’s wider digital youth policies, which include recent screen-time advice and plans targeting addiction and suicide prevention. This reinforces the government’s approach to gambling harm as a key public health and consumer protection issue.

Prison system focus

The government announced it would pursue better national coordination by incorporating gambling harm more significantly into broader public health structures. Communication between the Directorate of Health and regional competence centres (KORUS) will be strengthened to improve access to municipal and local services.

The plan pledged to increase awareness among crucial public service personnel, including prison staff and healthcare providers, to equip them with the skills to recognize and address gambling problems among inmates, who often build up debts while in custody.

Continuous data collection will persist, featuring regular surveys on gambling and gaming participation conducted by Lotteritilsynet and Medietilsynet, as well as a new nationwide survey dedicated specifically to gambling and gaming issues.

Furthermore, the plan promoted cooperation with licensed gambling operators through an annual forum to strengthen responsible gaming commitments.

Significantly, collaboration with banks and financial institutions will be enhanced to restrict financial transactions to unlicensed foreign gambling operators. Front-line bank employees may get training to recognize customers showing potential signs of gambling-related harm.

The monopoly problem

This increased emphasis on prevention and public health occurs as state-owned operator Norsk Tipping, which holds a monopoly on regulated online gambling in Norway, faces greater examination.

Recent events have cast doubt on the strength of its systems and player protection measures. These include a technical fault that resulted in wrong lottery payouts and a separate Eurojackpot incident that revealed flaws in internal controls, leading to regulatory scrutiny and fines.

Furthermore, worries have been expressed regarding development and operational standards, with reports pointing out deficiencies in the performance and user experience of Norsk Tipping’s platform.

These events have fueled the discussion about whether Norway’s monopoly system is robust enough to achieve its consumer protection goals.