The Progressive Party, the second political party in Norway, with 38 seats in Parliament and the most important party concerning popularity, has promised to open the national gaming market to private operators if it wins general elections next year. Party President Siv Jensen said the opening of the gaming market in Norway represents the best way to regulate gambling.

“Our priority is to obtain private gaming operations, which includes the legalization of casinos. This is a policy we have supported for many years,” Vice President of the Progressive Party Per Sandberg added. He also explained that his party does not want the state operator Norsk Tipping to control casinos, just like in Sweden, where Svenska Spel is the only operator. “We believe the state should not be involved in casino operations.”

During last year the morality of gaming was deeply discussed in Norway. “The morality of casinos and gaming has always been debated by green parties (the governing coalition of the labor and socialist parties). The truth is we already have the possibility of betting online, and the state is a very aggressive operator, since Norsk Tipping launches new games all the time,” Sandberg commented.

Vice President of the Progressive Party Per Sandberg also said that these are modern and times and he does not believe Minister of Culture and Ecclesiastic Affairs Giske should debate about the morality of the issue. “It is not a moral issue,” he said.