The Norwegian sensation, Magnus Carlsen has signed a sponsor contract with a large betting company. The news of the deal that includes support to hundreds of young chess enthusiasts, however, has not been received well in is own country.
The Norwegian, born in 1990, became the World Champion already in 2013 when he defeated Viswanathan Anand. He is yet to be beaten and is increasingly popular all around the world.
As a big Real Madrid fan, he was after his first World Champion allowed to take the kick off in a game for them, to standing ovations from Santiago Bernabeu.
Mixed reactions in Norway
The betting rules in the country is one of the strictest worldwide and the lottery authority has been in a fight with the Maltese companies, operating in the country for a long time. The legal situation as of today is a state monopoly. Any profit that the state owned company own, goes directly to culture and sports organizations, through gifts.
The likes of Betway and other companies are challenging this, as they claim it violates the deal Norway has to EU. They claim a licencing system would be the best solution for everyone, because this allows Norway to restrict something they can’t restrict at the moment.
Carlsen want odds betting to be legal
Norsk Odds Betting is one of the sources we have been in contact with. They guide norwegian players that are interested in odds betting to the best and safest betting sites in Norway. They are in favour of a licenced market in Norway
— As of today, the state owned company is nowhere close to competing with Betway and other MGA brands. That means the popularity of these companies are huge. If Norway where to get a licence system, not only would this be safer for the players, the gambling authorities could set rules like banning free bets and other bonuses.
What is your take on the Magnus Carlsen deal?
Personally I think it’s a huge step in the right direction. Magnus is one of the brightest minds in the country, and to have someone like him fighting for a licence as well as MGA brands having to contribute to Norwegian sports is a great deal.
About betting in Norway
Norway has long traditions with system betting through the weekly betting slip presented by the state betting site. Lately, this has increased in popularity also with the MGA brands, as you have no forced games to bet on, but can pick and chose
This is true, the system betting was something we learned from our grandfathers, already as kids. This has stayed with us and is a nice way to add some safety as well as you can hit those high oddsers.
Do you see this changing in the near future?
No, I don’t think so, because our generation is just as hooked on this way of betting as our parents, so we will tell this to our kids as well. However, I do see changes coming within the next ten years in regards to licencing. I believe it will be forced upon Norway at one point, when we see the positive effects from our neighbours Sweden and Denmark.