SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has enhanced its integrity capabilities in the Nordics by announcing Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill (NBO), Norway’s Association for Online Gaming, as a new partner.
Updating members, IBIA has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NBO to “establish a cooperative framework for a safe and effective local licensing and regulatory regime in Norway, including specific betting integrity provisions.”
Enhanced monitoring of Norway’s betting market is required, as the government maintains its monopoly regime, which runs contrary to the licensed gambling markets of neighboring Sweden and Denmark, as well as Finland’s impending licensed online gambling market.
As forecasted by H2 Gambling Capital, the leading data and intelligence company for the global gambling industry, nearly half (43%) of Norway’s online betting GGR is expected to be conducted offshore in 2024.
Carl Fredrik Stenstrøm, General Secretary of the NBO, remarked: “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.
“The NBO-IBIA partnership focuses on responsible practices and initiatives to minimize gambling-related harm.”
IBIA, a globally recognized non-profit organization, focuses on protecting the integrity of betting and sporting sectors. It has a significant membership and actively reports suspicious betting activities, leading to sanctions against teams, officials, or players involved in such activities.
In 2022, IBIA issued 268 alerts to authorities and reported 50 alerts in its Q3 2023 integrity report; it is set to publish its Q4 and annual report for 2023 soon.
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, stated: “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.”
