Norway approves postcode and recycling lottery licences
The Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority (Lotteritilsynet) has issued new licences permitting selected charitable organisations to operate postcode and recycling-style lotteries in Norway, under existing exemptions within the country’s gambling monopoly.
Although most gambling in Norway is handled by state-run operators, the rules do allow approved non-profit organisations with international work to apply for licences to run certain large-scale lotteries, as long as they meet strict financial and operating requirements.
According to Lotteritilsynet, organisations eligible for such licences must meet several requirements, including a maximum annual turnover of NOK 410 million (US$40.7 million), with the cap adjusted annually in line with the consumer price index. Licences issued under this framework are valid for nine years, running until 2035, replacing permits that are due to expire in 2026.
23 organisations approved for Postcode Lottery model
As part of the latest licensing round, Lotteritilsynet has approved 23 organisations to operate under the Postcode Lottery concept, with Norsk Postkodelotteri AS acting as the operational partner.
Under this model, players pay to have their postcode entered into a draw, where winnings are shared among participants within the same postcode area. Certain prizes are also linked to unique ticket numbers. Participants subscribe and pay once per month, with a limit of 20 tickets per customer, and subscriptions can be changed or cancelled at any time.
The approved organisations include SOS Children’s Villages, WWF, Redd Barna, Norwegian Church Aid, and Norwegian People’s Aid, among others. In total, 50 percent of the turnover after winnings are deducted will be distributed among the 23 charities.
The licences will be valid from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2035, with the lottery required to begin operations by 31 May 2026. Lotteritilsynet noted that this represents a significant expansion of the model.
“It is new this year that the Postcode Lottery is applying to offer gambling for 23 organisations. Previously, there have been two,” said Tore Bell, department director at the Norwegian Lottery Authority.
Recycling lottery licence awarded to Norwegian Red Cross
In addition to the Postcode Lottery approvals, Lotteritilsynet has granted a single licence for the Pantelotteriet, or recycling lottery, concept. The licence has been awarded to the Norwegian Red Cross, with Norsk Pantelotteri AS acting as the operational partner.
Pantelotteriet allows consumers to use the value of recycled bottles and cans as their stake in the lottery. Each ticket costs 50 øre ($0.05), and tickets cannot be purchased using money or other payment methods. Players receive immediate confirmation at the recycling machine, showing whether a prize has been won.
Prizes range from NOK 50 ($5), 100 ($10), 1,000 ($99), 10,000 $990), up to a maximum of NOK 2,000,000 ($198,000), with a stated winning probability of 1/468. On average, every 15th participant wins a prize. At least 25 percent of total turnover must be allocated to prizes.
As with the Postcode Lottery, at least 50 percent of net turnover after winnings will be paid to the Norwegian Red Cross. The licence will run from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2035, with operations required to begin by 31 May 2026.
Gambling monopoly remains in place
Despite the approval of these licences, Norway’s broader gambling market remains tightly restricted. Under current regulations, most gambling activity is reserved for the state monopolies Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, which together offer online gambling, sports betting, horse racing, lotteries, and physical gaming machines.
However, political debate around the monopoly continues. The Progress Party has called for an end to the current model since its 2021 election manifesto, arguing that large sums of money leave Norway each year without benefiting Norwegian sport or culture.
“We are one of very few countries left that have this [remote gambling] model,” Progress Party MP Silje Hjemdal said last May. “We must regulate better, and the way the model is today, there are actually very large sums of money that are sent out of the country every year, without going back to Norwegian sports or culture.”
While the party failed to gain power at the 2025 election, it increased its seat count by 26 to 47, just behind the 53 seats held by the minority Labour government.
Regulatory scrutiny of monopoly operators continues
Regulatory attention on Norway’s gambling monopoly operators remains strong, adding further pressure to ongoing calls for reform. In February 2025, Norsk Tipping was fined NOK 36 million ($3.6 million) after Lotteritilsynet identified shortcomings in its self-exclusion systems. This was followed by an additional NOK 46 million ($4.6 million) penalty related to a technical fault affecting Eurojackpot and Lotto.
Lotteritilsynet also opened further investigations after receiving a tip-off that a minor had transferred money to the platform. During this period, Vegar Sagstuen resigned as CEO after incorrect prize amounts were published for a Eurojackpot draw, resulting in thousands of customers being given misleading information about their potential winnings. Trond Bentestuen was appointed as the new CEO later in 2025.
Meanwhile, Norsk Rikstoto was ordered to pay NOK 6 million ($600,000) after 806 customers were allowed to gamble beyond their pre-set loss limits.
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