Norsk Tipping Risks $3.4M Fine for Self-Exclusion Violation

Norsk Tipping faces a fine in Norway over a self-exclusion failure. According to the country’s regulator, a technical mistake had prevented iOS players from excluding themselves from gambling, which is considered a serious offense.

Norsk Tipping’s iOS Players Couldn’t Exclude Themselves

The incident dates to January 16, 2024, when Norsk Tipping’s iOS gaming app experienced a failure that prevented players from excluding themselves from gambling. This persisted for several months.

The company learned of this problem only in May after a player tipped Norsk Tipping off about the failure. The player in question told the operator that they were unable to use the feature, prompting it to immediately introduce a fix.

Norsk Tipping maintained transparency and reported the issue to the Norwegian Gaming Authority. The operator also provided all necessary documents about the technical mistake and discussed the issue with the regulator.

As a monopoly operator, Norsk Tipping recognized its key role in preventing problem gambling and providing customers with ways to play safely and responsibly. The company reiterated its commitment to transparency and compliance and promised to continue self-reporting such violations even if it ends up facing fines for them.  

The Breach Was Very Serious

The NGA concluded that this was a serious violation of Norsk Tipping’s safer gaming responsibilities. The regulator emphasized the importance of self-exclusion and said that vulnerable groups rely on such solutions to avoid gambling.

Even though Norsk Tipping’s players could still exclude themselves from gambling via the operator’s official website, terminals or by contacting the customer service team, the iOS malfunction was still a very serious violation.

The NGA emphasized that operators should make sure that all exclusion functionalities are flawless and regularly monitored in order to protect players. Norsk Tipping has since implemented regular checks to make sure that its self-exclusion systems are functional. However, its failure still stands, risking the company a hefty fine.

As a result, the NGA proposed a fine of NOK 36 million ($3.4 million) for Norsk Tipping, arguing that the severity of the breach has been very serious. This corresponds to approximately 0.35% of the operator’s 2024 turnover.

Norsk Tipping Introduced Loss Limit Changes

In the meantime, Norsk Tipping remains committed to protecting players from gambling harm. To that end, the state-owned gaming operators introduced changes to its loss limits, seeking to shield younger players from harm.

Under the new rules, players aged 20 and 21 have a monthly loss limit of NOK 3,000 (approximately $265). Players aged 22 to 24, on the other hand, have a monthly loss limit of NOK 5,000 ($442). This followed an earlier reduction of the monthly loss limit for players aged 18-20.