SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Norway’s gambling authority Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet (Lotteritilsynet), continues its hardened stance against remote gambling operators, deemed to be illegally targeting national consumers.
Upping its command on restricting remote gambling services, this weekend Lotteritilsynet revealed that it had ordered all Norwegian licensed banks to block payment transactions which could be identified for the purposes of online gambling.
The Times of Malta reports that Lotteritilsynet toughened directive targets six Malta MGA licensed operators directly – Betsson AB, Gaming Innovation Group (GiG), Kindred Group, L&L Entertainment, Dino Gaming Ltd and Co-Gaming LTD.
Further to authorising payment restrictions, Lotteritilsynet officials state that they have demanded that the Malta MGA take action against its licensed incumbents operating/targeting a protected gambling jurisdiction.
Sanctioned by a Norwegian all-party coalition, in 2018 Lotteritilsynet was granted the right as a regulatory authority to monitor national banking transactions, protecting national consumers and the charitable/social contributions of state-owned gambling operator Norsk Tipping.
Lotteritilsynet’s new authoritative measures have been officially reprimanded by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), who have filed a complaint demanding that Noway’s Data Protection Inspectorate (DPI) investigate whether Lotteritilsynet payment blocking schemes, are in breach of consumer privacy protections.
Furthermore, closing 2018 Stockholm-listed Kindred Group Plc, one of the operators publically targeted by Lotteritilsynet, moved to file an Oslo High Court lawsuit against the regulator.
Kindred’s lawsuit accuses Lotteritilsynet of regulatory overreach on its business services, including the blocking payment transfers alongside sanctioning a ban on Kindred apps listing on the Apple App Store for Norway.
