Tonje Sagstuen has been appointed as the permanent managing director of Norsk Tipping, effective immediately. Sagstuen has been a part of the Norsk Tipping senior management team since 2014 and was most recently the director of responsibility, society, and communication. In addition to her experience at Norsk Tipping, she also served as the editor in chief and news editor at Norwegian newspaper Oppland Arbeiderblad. Sagstuen, who is also a former professional handball player for the Norwegian national team, expressed her gratitude for the trust and responsibility given to her by the board.
Chairman Sylvia Brustad welcomed Sagstuen’s appointment, describing her as a skilled and experienced manager who is familiar with the company and its employees. The board appreciated Sagstuen’s work as the acting managing director and believes she is the right person to lead Norsk Tipping going forward.
However, Norsk Tipping’s monopoly status as the online gambling provider in Norway is facing uncertainty. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has urged lawmakers in Norway to transition from the current monopoly system to a licensing model for online gambling, following the example of Sweden and Finland. EGBA believes a licensing system would address issues such as consumers gambling with unlicensed sites and cater to the demand for alternative gambling options.
Last month, Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, the state-owned gambling monopolies in Norway, reduced their marketing spending in response to demands from the Norwegian Lottery Authority. The aim was to comply with new rules that prohibited illegal gambling operators from advertising on Norwegian television. Norsk Tipping, specifically, had to cut advertising costs by 20% for its sports betting services and subsequently stopped advertising on Norwegian television.
