Report from Gambling Commission reveals 244,000 Norwegians gambled over the Internet in 2007, a rise of 6.1 percent.
Friday 27th June 2008
In Norway, the online gaming market grew by 6.1 percent last year with an estimated 244,000 citizens gambling online and the vast majority of profits going to foreign operators.
The report from the Norwegian Gambling Commission revealed that gamblers in the Scandinavian nation spent $1.4 billion with 82.9 percent of the total, or just over $1.2 billion, going to foreign operators while domestic providers Norsk Rikstoto and Norsk Tipping received slightly more than $401 million.
According to entertainment publication ISA-Guide.de, the research was conducted on a representative sample of 10,000 Norwegians between the ages of 16 and 74 and found that twelve percent of adult males gambled online during 2007 while only two percent of females participated.
Regarding types of gambling, 48 percent stated that they preferred the Norwegian Lotto followed by online poker at 28 percent, sportsbetting at 27 percent and casino games at seven percent. In addition, nine percent of adults who had gambled over the Internet preferred to do so using a mobile telephone.
In terms of favoured sites, the research showed that 21 percent named Unibet.com followed by Betsson.com with 14 percent, Expekt.com with eleven percent and NordicBet.com with ten percent.
In Norway, the online gaming market grew by 6.1 percent last year with an estimated 244,000 citizens gambling online and the vast majority of profits going to foreign operators.