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The Norwegian Gambling Authority (NGA) has blocked 57 websites operated by 23 companies since the start of the year when it was given new powers to carry out domain name system (DNS) blocking.
The NGA's update on its new web-blocking powers come as pressure mounts on the last gambling monopoly standing in Europe after a series of errors have recently led to damaging media coverage.
Several major political parties in the country have also recently come out in favour of a licensing model.
The effectiveness of website- and payment-blocking powers to tackle the black market will likely be crucial to keeping the monopoly long term.
“Blocking illegal websites will help reduce the number of people who develop gambling problems,” Silje Sægrov Amble, an NGA attorney, said on Tuesday (April 1) in a statement.
The NGA believes DNS blocking is already having an effect and claims several large companies have withdrawn from the Norwegian market due to its enhanced enforcement powers.
As of Tuesday, a list of the blocked websites is available on the NGA’s website.
Malta-based Casumo is perhaps the most recognisable name on the current list, while several crypto casinos are also on the blacklist, such as BC.game and Rollbit.com.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to be an illegal gambling company in Norway. There are several reasons for this. TV advertising is gone, and Norwegian banks are stopping bets and winnings to and from these companies,” Amble said.
After inspecting 37 financial institutions, the NGA said in November that banks could become much better at enforcing the country's payment processing ban.
However, it was noted that payment blocking was just one of several measures designed to protect consumers and tackle the black market, with Amble adding that the NGA will ensure that banks are quicker to prevent transactions.
Despite several measures to tackle illegal gambling, the NGA acknowledges that there are still many illegal websites that are not blocked.
Adding to the challenge of denying access to illegal gambling, there is also an ongoing need to better educate consumers on what gambling sites are legal in Norway.
A recent study conducted by Sentio for the NGA revealed that half of Norwegians are unsure which companies are allowed to offer gambling in the country.
