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Norsk Tipping, the state-owned Norwegian operator, is being investigated by the Norwegian Lottery Authority (Lotteritilsynet) for allegedly allowing minors to participate in gambling activities.

The regulator received a tip from a bank that a “relatively large amount of money” had been transferred from an individual under the legal gambling age of 18 to Norsk Tipping. According to Lotteritilsynet, since January 2024, Norsk Tipping has received tips about 21 similar cases.

The investigation marks the second time within a year that Norsk Tipping has come under fire from the regulator. Last fall, the operator received a fine of NOK 4.5 million ($443,000) for mistakenly paying out a customer NOK 25 million ($2.46 million)

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In a press release, the regulator emphasized that it’s too early to determine precisely what happened. However, according to Tore Bell, Department Director at Lotteritilsynet, the organization has requested more information from Norsk Tipping.

Some of the initial findings are that there are no indications that minors have created accounts at Norsk Tipping. Instead, based on the information gathered, Lotteritilsynet determined that an adult user was sharing or lending their account to a minor.

The regulator emphasizes that it is a violation of Norway’s Gambling Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

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The regulator and the operator have already conducted two phone calls on May 8 and May 9. They also had a meeting on May 13. As part of the investigation, Lotteritilsynet sent a letter to Norsk Tipping, raising nine questions:

• When were Apple Pay and Vipps payment methods introduced, and what risk assessments did Norsk Tipping make?
• Have there been follow-up risk evaluations after learning that minors may be gambling with borrowed accounts?
• Has Norsk Tipping considered notifying Lotteritilsynet about the 21 reported cases?
• Has there been a follow-up to the 21 cases? How much was gambled?
• Have there been reports of similar cases before 2024? If so, how many?
• What actions has Norsk Tipping taken to prevent underage gambling using others’ accounts?
• Following up on the May 13 meeting between the regulator and the operator, has Norsk Tipping considered removing Vipps and Apple Pay as payment options?
• How are Vipps and Apple Pay assessed concerning age restriction rules and requirements for proper account misuse controls?
• How do Vipps and Apple Pay comply with anti-money laundering rules when it cannot be verified whether the funds belong to the account holder?

Lotteritilsynet has given Norsk Tipping two weeks to respond to the questions.

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The underage gambling case comes amid the regulator’s efforts to strengthen oversight of the gambling market in Norway. As part of that, Lotteritilsynet launched a new DNS blocking campaign in April, which immediately blocked 57 illegal sites operated by 23 companies.

Meanwhile, around the same time, another regulator, Lottstift, launched a new four-year program to combat match-fixing in sports.

The “Combating Manipulation of Sports Competitions – A Strategy Plan 2025-2028” brings together key stakeholders, including he police, the Lottery and Foundations Authority, the Norwegian Football Association, the Norwegian Trotting Association, the Ministry of Culture, the police force, and licensed betting firms.

The plan emphasizes preventive education through public awareness campaigns and regular threat assessments to identify possible upcoming areas of concern.