The Lotteritilsynet, the Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority, will monitor nine unspecified banks to investigate whether they authorise transactions from illegal gambling operators.
This is to ensure that banks are complying with Section 5 of the Norwegian Gambling Act, which states that it is explicitly prohibited to mediate payment transactions by entering and paying out money with operators that do not have the necessary licence.
Rannveig Gram Skår, the Norwegian Lottery Authority Lawyer and Senior Advisor, said: "For a long time, we have focused on dialogue with Norwegian banks and financial institutions.
“For the first time, we have no choice but to open a more thorough oversight of compliance.”
Nine banks were chosen as part of the audit, with the briefing requesting what measures the institution had undertaken to ensure compliance with Section 5.
This will include the details of any transactions, account numbers and identified precautions.
Skår continued: "We know that the prohibition on payment services is an important tool for protecting the Norwegian ownership model.
“The purpose of the model is to prevent gambling problems and other negative consequences of monetary games.”
The Authority also confirmed that additional investigations will be taken after a few months.
Skår concluded: "Banks has three weeks to submit the documentation and information we have requested.
“We expect to see to a large extent that the banks have effectively complied with our decisions."
In the neighbouring country of Denmark, Spillemyndigheden has introduced ‘Player ID’ for in-store gambling, which will go live on 1 October.
