A recent leak from the Curaçao documents has unveiled a troubling trend: millions of Norwegians are now engaging with the black market for online gambling.
As reported by NRK, Norway's public broadcasting service, the leaked information indicates that there are 782 online casino platforms tailored for Norwegian users, which have collectively attracted around 81 million visits from the country.
The breach, executed by hacker Lillith Wittman, involved accessing business plans from the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA), which frequently mentioned Norway as a target market, alongside Canada and Finland.
Interestingly, one operator noted that these three markets are unregulated, despite Norway and Finland having monopolistic systems managed by Norsk Tipping and Veikkaus, respectively, while Canada operates under a provincial regulatory framework.
Wittman, a German hacker who previously infiltrated the Malta Gaming Authority's database, spent nine months gathering data from the CGA, which she has now made public.
In a series of articles published in multiple languages across Europe, she accused the CGA of neglecting significant issues related to the management of various operators when issuing licenses.
NRK reported that at least 12 individuals from Norway were found to be involved in operations licensed by Curaçao.
The Norwegian black market for gambling is estimated to be valued at 2 billion Kroner (approximately £158.3 million) each year. In contrast, state-owned Norsk Tipping reported gaming revenues of 10.2 billion Kroner (around £808.4 million) from lotteries, sports betting, and casino games.
The CGA confirmed that unauthorized access to its online portal occurred in December 2025, with the breach being discovered on September 17, 2026.
Following the incident, the regulator took its online portal offline and announced plans to transition to a new platform, with further details expected by the end of the week.
In their statement, the CGA mentioned that they are developing an alternative method to replace the current digital seal for all licensees, which will be affected by the portal's closure.
Furthermore, the CGA assured that the suspension of the portal does not invalidate existing licenses.
“Licensing, compliance, and supervisory activities will continue as usual through alternative arrangements while a temporary solution is being established to ensure the ongoing processing of licenses and regulatory issues,” the CGA stated.