Norsk Tipping and Sportradar report record World Cup as Norway's run lifts betting activity

Norway's return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence produced a record tournament for state-owned operator Norsk Tipping and its technology partner Sportradar, according to interviews with executives from both companies published by SBC News.

Hans Erland Ringsvold, Head of Sports, Casino and Poker at Norsk Tipping, said the operator treated the tournament as a strategic target. A task force was formed with staff from several internal departments, including sports operations, development, customer support, marketing, payments, ID, responsible gaming and technology. The company ran stress tests, removed system bottlenecks and carried out scenario testing. Ringsvold said the message given to the board was to stay calm even though the operator's return to player would fluctuate, a particular risk for a firm that operates in a single country where many customers bet with their hearts.

Compared with Euro 2024, previously described by the company as its record championship, Norsk Tipping tripled revenue and doubled its customer numbers. Norway's own matches drew the most activity, peaking with the quarter-final against England. Engagement fell after Norway's elimination and recovered for the final. Ringsvold said the 1x2 market remains the largest but its share is shrinking with each tournament. Player props drew more interest, helped by Erling Haaland's presence in the squad, and the operator also saw strong growth in pre-built bet builders, totals, both teams to score and correct score.

Jens Nielsen, Principal Advisor, Platform and Partnerships at Sportradar, said approximately 20% of the adult Norwegian population placed a World Cup bet with Norsk Tipping. Traffic peaked at 172 bets per second, and Sportradar secured capacity in advance to keep the sportsbook platform fully available throughout the tournament.

Against the 2022 World Cup, Nielsen said, Norsk Tipping recorded a 273% increase in active clients and a 373% rise in bets placed. Activity during the quarter-final against England exceeded the previous Norway-Brazil record by 48%.

This is the first part of a two-part overview. Ringsvold also pointed to the Champions League run of Bodø/Glimt as an earlier indicator of how strongly Norwegian customers respond to good domestic performances.