NORWAY Law and Practice Contributed by: Kari Gimmingsrud, Stian Hultin Oddbjørnsen and Andreas Bernt, Haavind
The most relevant legislation for the computer gaming industry is as follows. • The Digital Services Act ( digitalytelsesloven ) of 2022 implements the Digital Services Directive and provides consumers with rights when purchasing digital services such as games and in-game purchases. • The Marketing Control Act ( markedsføring- sloven ) of 2009 is the framework law for marketing control and implementation of European directives regarding unfair market practices towards consumers. As in other European jurisdictions, this kind of legisla - tion is regarded as regulating certain aspects of market practices in computer gaming, especially rules regarding marketing towards minors and manipulative methods for in-game purchases. • The Gambling Act ( pengespillloven ) of 2022 in essence bans all gambling in Norway, with the exception of government-approved gam - bling operators. Gambling in Norway is tightly regulated and affects all gambling elements in computer gaming. Age Ratings Age ratings are not specifically regulated in Norway, but most games are marketed with the PEGI rating. The use of the PEGI rating is just a recommendation in Norway, but the widespread acceptance of this recommendation has meant that there has been no need to legislate on the issue. In-Game Purchases, Loot Boxes, etc There is considerable debate on whether issues such as in-game purchases, loot boxes and gambling elements in computer gaming should be regulated more specifically or more tightly. In 2024, the Parliament instructed the government to address some of these issues and propose
new legislation, particularly in regard to loot box - es. At present, in-game purchases are generally regulated by non-gaming-specific regulation, such as the Digital Services Act and the Market - ing Control Act. New regulations are expected to be proposed in the coming years. Loot boxes are similarly a much-discussed top - ic. Some regulators and practicians have argued that loot boxes might be considered illegal gam - bling in Norway, but there is no consensus on this topic, and the government is expected to follow up on the instruction from the Parliament to look closer into the need for more detailed regulation. Gambling elements are strictly regulated, and gambling is generally prohibited. This extends to a complete ban on the marketing of illegal gambling (also gambling allowed in the home jurisdiction) in Norway, a ban on gambling mar - keting on TV channels carried by operators in Norway, and a ban on Norwegian banks trans - ferring money to and from gambling services. Businesses offering gambling elements in com - puter games should thus be aware that all pay - ments to and from the game could be banned if the game includes elements that are considered gambling under Norwegian law. 9.2 Regulatory Bodies The primary regulatory bodies overseeing the gaming industry are: • the Media Authority, which has limited regula - tory powers regarding gaming specifically, but has “soft power” through the issuing of recommendations, such as for participation in PEGI; • the Consumer Authority, which has enforce - ment powers in relation to marketing and unfair consumer practices in the gaming
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