Norway Follows US Online Gambling Ban Example?

It seems that Norway has more in common with the United States than previously believed. It looks like the Scandinavian country of Norway is set to pass a law banning online gambling using the same procedures as US authorities.

The Minister for Culture and Churches, Trond Griske, appears to be on a personal 'mission' to promote a law that would prevent Norwegian banks and financial institutions from processing online gambling transactions.

The country famous for pickled fish and Hagar the Horrible online gambling ban law looks like a replica of the US online gambling ban passed at the end of last year. The thought would be correct if you take into account that Norway plans to not allow online gamblers from accessing foreign-owned gambling websites while protecting its own state-owned gambling monopoly, Norske Tipping.

What's more, Trond Griske has offered the same old excuse to give reason for the ban that has been brought into play many times by other narrow-minded politicians around the world, which is that he is worried about a possible increase in 'problem gamblers'.

If that is truthfully the situation then why will Norske Tipping still be open to draw and accept bets from Norway's immense network of online gambling players? The answer could lay in the 1.16 billion Euros in gambling profits Norske Tipping spawn last year, which would be a disappointment to lose as a result of those 'pesky' problem gamblers?

Up until now the only country who proved to have found a smart way to tackle the online gambling theme is UK. The British showed that online gambling can be legalized and properly regulated and taxed, creating a win-win situation for the government, the online gamblers and of course the online gambling operators.

We ask ourselves now, why countries like Norway prefer to tag along the example of the United States which self-praises to be the land of the free but is in fact the land of 'you're only really as free as we the government deem you to be'?