Norway passes Payment Act

Despite protests that the legislation does not conform to European Union regulations, the new ban will make it illegal for online operators without a Norwegian license to process payments from players for remote gambling in the nation.

The legislation could see violators charged with ‘accessory involvement’ in unlawful gambling, which means that financial service providers are being required to implement systems to accommodate the new ban.

The new legislation will go into effect from the first day of June, which is also the same day America’s Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) payment ban is scheduled to be implemented.

However, numerous online operators serving Norway including Betsson have stated that the new ban is not much of a threat and that they would ignore attempts that require them to police transactions.

Although Norway is not a member of the European Union, it does belong to the European Economic Area. This allows it to enjoy some of the benefits of the European Union in return for abiding by the bloc’s internal market regulations. European Union law stipulates that member nations cannot impose domestic licensing if another member state has already licensed an operator.