Lottstift, the Gambling Authority of Norway, has sent a warning to the country’s major media operators to remain vigilant against unlicensed advertising.
The directive comes ahead of major international events toward the end of this month, including the Eurovision Song Contest, and the final stages of UEFA’s elite soccer competitions: the Champions League, Europa League, and the Conference League.
Lottstift has written to the seven main media organizations in Norway, covering broadcast and other platforms, to assist them with their monitoring duties.
The regulator anticipates a surge in public interest toward the major events taking place over the next few weeks, and with this comes an increase in gambling activity.
In Norway, gambling is only permitted through two legal operators, Norsk Tipping for general betting and games, and Norsk Rikstoto for horse racing.
However, media advertising works separately, and the Scandinavian nation’s advertising act compels media organizations to monitor all gambling-related content and ads in full.
Specifically, the media operators have been warned that any inadequate content or filtering of marketing from unlicensed gambling brands could result in a violation of the Gambling Act with potential consequences.
Not abiding may result in sanctions
Essentially, the regulator wants the industry to be wary and cognizant of the risks, reminding media houses of their responsibilities to prevent any illicit content from reaching the audience.
Indirect promotion is also strictly forbidden, such as linking to third-party or background sources that host affiliate content, which could also fall foul of Norway’s laws.
Lottstift was clear in what it expects, setting out that full compliance is required:
“We urge media houses to be especially vigilant against attempts to bypass ad filters, and to assess whether these systems are sufficiently effective at detecting illegal gambling advertisements. Failure to prevent such content may result in sanctions.”
Three years ago, a High Court ruling in Oslo granted greater powers to the gambling authority, as well as the overall media body Medietilsynet, to introduce more stringent measures against outlets platforming unlicensed gambling operators.
This came in response to reports of an increasing proliferation of gambling ads being broadcast to Norwegian audiences from OTT and cable services available in the country, bypassing national restrictions.
Image credit: Ideogram
