TLDR
- Progress Party politician Himanshu Gulati called Norway’s gambling monopoly “irrational” at an industry event
- He argued Norwegians are already gambling on offshore sites, undermining the monopoly’s funding purpose
- Gulati said foreign operators bring responsible gambling tools Norway’s system currently lacks
- The Progress Party has rising poll numbers, putting reform higher on the political agenda
- Finland is opening its market in 2027, which would leave Norway as Europe’s only full gambling monopoly
Norway’s Gambling Monopoly Faces Fresh Political Pressure
Norway’s gambling monopoly is under growing political pressure, with a senior opposition figure making one of the strongest cases yet for reform.
Himanshu Gulati, a politician with the Progress Party, spoke at the Norwegian Trade Association of Online Gambling’s annual gathering on June 16, 2026. He argued that the current system no longer reflects how Norwegians actually gamble.
Gulati called for a licensed market model, saying the debate has been driven by ideology rather than evidence. He said both sides should at least agree on the facts before deciding whether the monopoly still works.
A key argument for Norway’s monopoly has always been that it funds sport, voluntary organisations and community activities. Gulati challenged that logic.
He pointed out that many Norwegians are already using offshore gambling websites that sit outside the state system. If that money is leaving the regulated market, he argued, policymakers need to ask whether the monopoly is still the best way to raise funds for those causes.
Harm Reduction and Match-Fixing Also Raised
Gulati also said Norway is missing out on harm reduction expertise by keeping international operators out of its market.
He argued that companies working across multiple countries have built strong responsible gambling tools over many years. Bringing them into a licensed Norwegian market could improve player protections, he said.
He made a similar point about match-fixing. Across Europe, licensed operators often feed data into integrity monitoring systems. Norway’s closed market limits access to those networks.
Gulati said some of Norway’s current restrictions simply do not make practical sense and should be reviewed. Gambling reform is a long-standing Priority Party priority, and he said introducing a licensing framework would be among its top cultural policy goals in government.
Norway Increasingly the Odd One Out in Europe
The Progress Party has been polling strongly, putting its proposals in the spotlight.
Most European countries already run licensed gambling markets where private operators compete under regulatory oversight. State monopolies are rare and usually cover only parts of the industry.
Finland, which ran a model similar to Norway’s, has already passed legislation to open its market to licensed competition starting in 2027.
Once Finland makes that switch, Norway is expected to be the only country in Europe with a full gambling monopoly across all sectors.
That prospect is pushing what was once a niche policy debate into mainstream politics.
