Norway has appointed a new gaming regulatory chief, just as the country prepares to go to war with unauthorized online gambling sites.

Last week, the Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet (Norwegian Gaming Authority) appointed Gunn Merete Paulset as its new general director. Paulset (pictured) was an eight-year NGA veteran before leaving in 2015, but has now returned to replace Atle Hamar, who left to head up the Ministry of Climate and the Environment.

Paulset has a law degree, which will probably help her through what promises to be a legally challenging period in the Norwegian online gambling market’s evolution. The government is seeking new power to force local financial institutions to block payments to internationally licensed gambling sites that compete with the Norsk Tipping and Norsk Tikstoto state-owned monopolies.

Earlier this month, Norway’s government submitted the text (in Norwegian) of its “regulations concerning the prohibition of the processing of payments for gambling without a Norwegian license” to the European Commission for approval. The EC’s mandatory standstill period extends to September 5, and Norway hopes to impose the new rules by January 1, 2019.