Norway’s Ministry of Culture and Equality suggests that state-owned Norsk Tipping should offer regulated online poker. The move could help channel players away from unregulated gambling sites.
The proposal was submitted for public consultation on September 29, with responses expected by November 29. The ministry has shortened the consultation period to allow the proposed rules to take effect immediately and allow Norsk Tipping to start preparations for the launch of online poker.
Norsk Tipping to Offer Online Poker
Under the proposal, Norway’s Norsk Tipping would obtain exclusive rights to offer online poker, limited to tournament poker and cash games.
Currently, Norwegian casinos cannot offer online poker is not allowed across Norway. However, it’s permitted in certain circumstances, including private games and an annual national tournament, but there is no legal online poker product available to Norwegian players.
According to the ministry, the lack of legal poker options has pushed Norwegian players to unregulated platforms. Surveys from the University of Bergen suggest that up to 90,000 people play online poker at least once a year, while Norsk Tipping’s own research suggests the number could reach 130,000 players per quarter.
The government’s proposal is based mainly on the principle of channelisation, which seeks to direct gambling activity towards legal and regulated offerings operated by Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto.
The ministry noted that a regulated online poker product would make poker more accessible. However, it argued that the existing legal options are unlikely to attract players who currently play on offshore platforms. Therefore, it considers an online product necessary to address the unregulated market.
“Many Norwegians play online poker. We should get a responsible and safer offer here in Norway, rather than unregulated games at foreign, commercial gaming companies,” said Culture and Equality Minister Lubna Jaffery.
Strict Limits Proposed for Poker
The consultation comes up with a range of restrictions which should keep the new product within Norway’s responsible gambling framework.
For example, players would face a maximum loss limit of NOK5,000 a day and NOK10,000 per month. Meanwhile, players under 20 would face a lower monthly limit of NOK2,000.
Additionally, tournament buy-ins would be capped at NOK2,500, including registration fees. In terms of cash games, the maximum buy-in would be NOK1,000, with maximum blinds of NOK10 for the big blind and NOK5 for the small blind.
If Norsk Tipping connects its poker product to international networks, equivalent limits of €/$250 per tournament and €/$100 per cash-game table would apply.
Tournament players would also be required to take a five-minute break after every hour of play. But the proposal doesn’t call for breaks for cash games since players enter and leave tables at different times. Still, it wants cash-game players to be able to set daily time limits.
Norsk Tipping would also develop additional responsible gambling tools for cash games, such as criteria for addressing playing time and gambling activity. The proposal would limit players to four poker tables simultaneously, reflecting concerns that multi-tabling could make it harder for players to maintain control.
Break Between Poker and Casino
The ministry also shared concerns that online poker could encourage players to continue gambling on other products.
It said that international experience suggests online poker can act as an entry point to online gambling. That’s why the proposal calls for a mandatory 15-minute break for players moving between online poker and casino games.
According to the ministry, the measure would help prevent players who have reached their poker loss limit from immediately moving to another gambling product.
The government is also seeking views on whether marketing for online poker should be entirely prohibited or permitted only on a very limited basis.
The consultation document states the availability of legal online poker could attract people who do not currently gamble, particularly younger people. The ministry noted poker’s visibility in popular culture and stressed that Norsk Tipping’s proposed service should serve as an alternative for existing players rather than a tool for recruiting new ones.
Regulators to Receive Incident Reports
Furthermore, the consultation includes a broader regulatory change not directly linked to online poker. It calls for major gambling providers to report serious incidents and deviations to Norway’s gambling regulator, Lotteritilsynet.
At the moment, Lotteritilsynet can request information from gambling providers, but operators do not have a statutory obligation to proactively report serious incidents. The government believes this can leave the regulator dependent on its own supervisory activities to identify critical issues.
The proposed duty would apply to Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, along with other gambling providers and intermediaries, such as bingo operators and companies responsible for draws in major lottery products.
The ministry added that the measure would allow Lotteritilsynet to respond more quickly and identify recurring faults in the gambling market. Reports would generally be made without processing personal data unless such information is strictly necessary.
Changes for Belago Payments
Finally, the consultation submits administrative changes about the distribution of proceeds from Belago terminals run in bingo venues.
Organisations that seek bingo licences would need to have a verified bank account registered in the national Voluntary Organisations Register before applying. Recipients would also have to remain active when payments are made.
Belago funds that cannot be distributed would instead be returned to Norsk Tipping’s surplus and allocated in compliance with the Gambling Act. The ministry has proposed that the amended regulations enter into force immediately.
Overall, the proposals could mean a potential expansion of Norsk Tipping’s online gambling portfolio. However, the ministry sees the proposed poker product mostly as a channelisation effort. Its stated objective is to provide Norwegian players with a regulated alternative to online poker currently offered outside the country’s gambling framework.
