International news

Norway's Ministry of Culture and Equality has launched a public consultation to allow Norsk Tipping to offer online poker. The proposal comes with strict restrictions, including a daily loss cap of 5,000 Norwegian kroner and a maximum big blind of 10 kroner, which may struggle to attract players already playing abroad. Norway may soon offer legal online poker for the first time, but will this product, designed to protect players, actually be well-received? The Ministry of Culture and Equality has launched a public consultation to allow the state-owned Norsk Tipping to offer online poker, potentially ending years of unregulated domestic platforms. First reported by Poker.pro, this proposal represents a major shift for a country that, despite having one of the strictest gambling restrictions in Europe, has produced top players like WSOP Main Event champions Annette Obrestad and Espen Jorstad, as well as Kayhan Mokri and Jon Kyte. The Norwegian government now hopes its poker offering will entice players away from unregulated foreign operators and into a safer environment. However, the restrictions proposed by the state-owned gambling operator may make its version of online poker unacceptable to many players who have already chosen to play elsewhere. What has Norway proposed? The consultation, which runs until November 29, will allow Norsk Tipping to offer online tournaments and cash games. Norwegians aren't really waiting for a license to play, as a 2022 survey by the University of Bergen found that nearly 90,000 Norwegians play online poker with foreign operators each year, and Norsk Tipping now estimates that number could be between 100,000 and 150,000. "We know many Norwegians play online poker," said Lubna Jaffery, Minister for Culture and Equality. "Therefore, it's better for us to offer a responsible and safer option in Norway than to let players play unregulated games abroad with profit-driven commercial gambling companies." However, the proposed product will come with significant restrictions, as shown in the table below. The proposed restrictions include a daily loss cap of 5,000 NOK (approximately US$520), a monthly loss cap of 10,000 NOK (approximately US$1,040), a monthly loss cap of 2,000 NOK (approximately US$207) for players under 20, a maximum tournament buy-in of 2,500 NOK (approximately US$260), a maximum cash game buy-in of 1,000 NOK (approximately US$104), and a maximum big blind of 10 NOK (approximately US$1). The platform will not offer 24/7 poker and will be closed between 1:00 AM and 7:00 AM. Will Norwegian poker players actually switch? These restrictions align with Norway's responsible gambling practices but could also undermine one of the main reasons for introducing online poker. Norway hopes to shift players using unregulated operators to Norsk Tipping. The country has spent years trying to restrict access to foreign gambling websites.