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The Norwegian version of the US’s UIGEA legislation is getting closer than ever to passage – but some of Europe’s online casinos and gambling associations are already beginning to protest this blatantly protectionist legislation. Norway’s legislation seeks to disrupt the financial transactions between Norwegian online casino gamblers and foreign internet gambling companies. Norway has a state-run gambling monopoly, Norske Tipping, and this legislation would essentially attempt to force Norwegians to only bet and gambling through the state monopoly. The entire situation, right down to the protest from the banking industry just reeks of the US’s failed attempts at this same legislation.

Blocking online casinos is simply a moot point in this day and age and putting the onus of that task on the banking industry, particularly at the time of a global financial crises and looming recession, does not sit very well with Norway’s financial services sector nor the rest of the EU. Norway has already passed the legislation through Storting (Norway’s parliament) and at this point it just becomes a waiting game to see if the regulations will pass through.

Fortunately for those opposed to the Norwegian land and online casino gambling legislation, Norway cannot implement the new legislation until it has gone through the consideration of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Many in the industry assume that the EFTA will express some strong concerns about the legislation and encourage a revision. Like the UIGEA in the US, the legislation has little support outside of the government proposing the legislation and the top protestors are the individual country’s financial services industry – that should say a lot about the feasibility of this type of legislation.