The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has announced a partnership with NBO (Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill), Norway’s Association for Online Gaming, SBC News reported January 26.
The two organizations reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to “establish a cooperative framework for a safe and effective local licensing and regulatory regime in Norway, including specific betting integrity provisions.”
The organizations are concerned that Norway’s wagering market continues to be a government monopoly, as opposed to the rest of Scandinavia, which are all starting or have started competitive marketplaces.
They cited a forecast by H2 Gambling Capital, a data and intelligence firm for the gaming industry, that said almost half of Norway’s online betting gross gaming revenue (GGR) will be from offshore, black market platforms by the end of this year.
NBO General Secretary Carl Fredrik Stenstrøm declared, “Increasingly strong signals indicate that the Norwegian monopoly is not the most effective solution for consumer protection or industry integrity. Betting is a fully digital and international service that cannot be confined to local peculiarities.”
He added, “The NBO-IBIA partnership focuses on responsible practices and initiatives to minimize gambling-related harm.”
IBIA’s remit is protecting the integrity of wagering and sports sectors. It actively reports suspicious betting activities, including players who may be involved in game fixing and other activities that subvert game integrity. It issues hundreds of alerts to authorities and publishes quarterly and annual reports.
IBIA CEO Khalid Ali commented: “We welcome the MOU with NBO and aim to support their challenge to Norway’s monopolistic betting approach. The lack of licensing for responsible regulated betting operators in Norway hinders market oversight, consumer protection, and the implementation of effective sports betting integrity provisions.”
