The Norwegian Supreme Court Refuse Gambling Conglomerate Case
Author:
Muhammad Gregory
Norway’s Supreme Court rejected a case filed by Norwegian sportsbooks against the National Gambling Authority, claiming unfair restrictions violated laws. The tension between the gambling authority and betting firms has been well documented up to this point. An initial complaint issued to the Ministry of Culture back in 2018 is what began the current saga. The Norwegian supreme court has officially rejected the claim, and unless new evidence is provided, it’s unlikely they will reconsider.
A group of betting firms had a case against the national gambling authority dismissed by the Norwegian Supreme Court due to insufficient cause to establish the proceedings. Currently, the conglomerate is looking to submit another appeal based on adjacent legal matters.?AlexvonGutthenbach-Lindau/Pixabay
In this case, Trannel International are the kindred group, a Stockholm-based firm that’s often clashed with the gambling authority over their Norwegian branches. Most betting firms in Scandinavia often have operations running in all of their countries, including Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. The main argument of Trannel International is that the Commission prevented them from providing an effective online gaming service in Norway.
The original complaint submitted to the Norwegian Supreme Court included details of how the Commission blocked payments made to their site from its own players. As the majority of their revenue is made from their website and app, especially during Covid, it could’ve resulted in major problems for the business. On top of this, they claim that their apps were restricted from the Apple App Store because the Commission flagged them in a report made to the Apple and Android marketplaces.
The Supreme Court rejected this statement, noting that it would be a direct violation of international law for Norway to enact limiting powers to a business outside the country. The Oslo City Court also chimed in and defended the initial decision made by the Supreme Court, backing their decision with a similar narrative. Since the dismissal of the case, several spokespeople for both sides have commented on the topic to the media and journalists.
After losing in the Municipal Courts, they went to the Court of Appeal, which also rejected their claim. This was the decisive action that forced the conglomerate to engage with the Supreme Court to have their case heard in a court setting in a last-ditch effort. They argued that the Commission’s actions violated the Norwegian constitution as they are limited only to prosecute companies based in Norway, not in Sweden, where revenues have increased significantly.
Trannel International Not Happy After Supreme Court Decision
A spokesperson on behalf of Trannel addressed media enquiries earlier this week, expressing his disgust at the Supreme Court decision. He also mentioned that they would return with another plea this time to an independent court to get a fair judgment, as he put it. However, he also expressed Trannel’s desire to continue in the Norwegian Market, stating that the Norway user base was one of the most active and passionate in Europe.
Since last year, Trannel International’s variety of sportsbooks have been banned from operating in Norway because of the ongoing case between them and the Norwegian Gambling Commission. They previously rejected a ruling made by another court system and proceeded to ban them from the country. They have been ordered to remove their Norwegian operations, as they were accused of exploiting vulnerable players through charities and other betting sites.
The ban has prevented them from receiving any payments from Norwegian IP addresses; the removal of their service has given Norsk Tipping an overwhelming majority of the market share. This was also brought up in the court hearing by Trannel representatives; however, Norsk Tipping is one of the longest-standing members of the Norwegian gambling market. It’s highly unlikely that the competition authority will have anything to say about them, considering they have dominated the market for decades.
