Norway's Ministry of Culture and Equality on Sept. 29, 2026, opened a public consultation on amendments to the country's gambling regulations. The changes would give state-owned operator Norsk Tipping the exclusive right to offer online poker. There is currently no legal online poker in the country.
Comments are due by Nov. 29, 2026. The ministry shortened the consultation period so the amendments can take effect immediately after approval.
What is proposed
Norsk Tipping would be able to offer online poker in two formats: tournaments and cash games.
According to the ministry's consultation paper, the draft regulation includes these limits:
- Loss limit: 5,000 kroner per calendar day and 10,000 kroner per calendar month. Players under 20 could lose no more than 2,000 kroner a month.
- Tournament buy-in: no more than 2,500 kroner (or 250 euros/dollars), including the registration fee.
- Cash-game buy-in: no more than 1,000 kroner (or 100 euros/dollars) per table. Norsk Tipping had asked for 2,000 kroner, but the ministry chose the lower cap.
- Cash-game blinds: no higher than 10 and 5 kroner.
- Breaks: a mandatory shared five-minute break every hour in tournaments.
In the consultation paper, the ministry also proposes limiting players to no more than four tables at once and letting cash-game players set their own daily time limits. As an example of a barrier between poker and online casino games, the ministry cites a 15-minute pause when switching between them. Separately, the ministry asks consultation participants whether online poker advertising should be banned or strictly limited.
Regulator Lotteritilsynet would assess the poker product within one year of launch.
Why
Norsk Tipping requested the regulatory change in May 2024. Surveys by the University of Bergen indicate up to 90,000 people in Norway play online poker at least once a year. Norsk Tipping's research shows up to 130,000 players at least once a quarter. All of them currently play with unregulated operators.
Culture and Equality Minister Lubna Jaffery said in a ministry news release that since many Norwegians already play online poker, it is better to give them a safe domestic product than to leave them to foreign commercial companies.
Other changes
The largest market participants would be required to report serious incidents to Lotteritilsynet. The requirement would apply to Norsk Tipping, Norsk Rikstoto, bingo hall operators and companies running draws for large lotteries such as Pantelotteriet and Postkodelotteriet.
The draft also clarifies rules for paying Belago bingo funds to organizations. Money that cannot be paid out would return to Norsk Tipping's profit.
