Norway opens consultation for Norsk Tipping online poker, with daily and monthly loss caps

On 29 September 2026 Norway’s Ministry of Culture and Equality (*Kultur- og likestillingsdepartementet*) opened a public consultation on amendments to the gambling regulations (*pengespillforskriften*). The central proposal would let Norsk Tipping, the state monopoly, offer online poker — tournament and cash games — under exclusive right. Poker online is not a legal commercial product in Norway today; home games and an annual national championship remain the limited legal forms. The draft is a consultation, not a live launch.

Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery (Labour) said many Norwegians already play online poker, and that a responsible domestic offer is preferable to unregulated foreign commercial operators. A University of Bergen survey from 2022 found nearly 90,000 Norwegians played online poker each year with foreign operators. Norsk Tipping estimates the figure may now sit between 100,000 and 150,000. Norsk Tipping asked the ministry for the change in May 2024, according to the consultation note.

Named limits in the draft

The consultation note sets player-facing caps for the proposed product:

• Maximum loss NOK 5,000 per calendar day and NOK 10,000 per calendar month
• Players under 20: maximum loss NOK 2,000 per calendar month
• Tournament buy-in: max NOK 2,500 (or €250 / $250), including registration fee
• Cash-game buy-in: max NOK 1,000 (or €100 / $100)
• Tournaments: mandatory five-minute break every hour
• Maximum four tables at once

Cash games would not carry the same hourly break rule; players would set daily time limits, with modules expected inside Norsk Tipping’s Spillepuls responsible-gambling tool. Because Norsk Tipping’s overall monthly loss limit is higher than the poker-only cap, the ministry wants a barrier when moving between poker and online casino — it gives a 15-minute pause as an example. The consultation also asks whether online poker marketing should be banned or only allowed in a very limited form; that question is open, not decided.

What else is in the package

The same consultation proposes a duty for major actors — including Norsk Tipping, Norsk Rikstoto, bingo hall operators, and firms behind large lottery draws — to report serious incidents to the gambling regulator Lotteritilsynet. Smaller tweaks cover Belago bingo-fund payout rules for non-profit organisations. Lotteritilsynet would evaluate the poker product within one year of any launch.

Høringsfrist (consultation deadline) is 29 November 2026. The ministry shortened the window so an amended regulation could take effect promptly if adopted. Until then, online poker at Norsk Tipping remains a proposal.

18+. If gambling stops being fun, see responsible play. For another regulated European licence lane on tip, see KSA Netherlands eight online licence renewals.