Since 2011, the Norwegian state lottery has been engaged in a lawsuit with the Cherry AB company on the grounds of offering real money games to Norwegian citizens through their website eurolotto.com. However, the case does not include an official declaration of any illegal issues with the Maltese company.
Cherry AB is in the process of appealing to the Oslo City Courts claiming that the lawsuit has been going on for too long without any legal bases and that the Norwegian government just fears competition with the state’s lottery system.
Eurolotto.com has continued offering its services in the northern country, although for the past two years the company hasn’t been able to display any marketing campaigns to Norwegian players.
Emil Sunvisson, Cherry AB’s CEO, has commented on the situation:
I understand that the Norwegian monopoly fears the competition from the great success of EuroLotto. However, the whole situation is very strange. The Norwegian government unjustly tries to protect the monopoly and hinder Norwegian players from choosing private operators that offer the same services offered by the state through Norsk Tipping.
The case is under nationwide coverage as it implies that no foreign company would be able to enter the Norwegian market in the future because the local government is working against the free movement of goods and services.
Until further notice, eurolotto.com will continue offering its services in the Scandinavian country even though the situation is yet to be solved by the Oslo City Courts.
Cherry AB is also the parent company behind the latest casino website, Euroslots.com, which also offers online gambling services to European players including Norwegians.