Guide for Online Poker in Norway 2021

The online gambling scene in Norway is restricted by some of the toughest laws in the world. Like many other countries, Norway didn’t fail to spot just how fast the sector was growing and thus clamped down hard with an iron fist.

Overall this makes the situation slightly awkward for any budding poker players within the country who might be interested in taking up the game.

The entire gambling industry in Norway is run by two companies. Norsk Tipping offers lotteries and sports betting. Norsk Rikstoto offers sports betting on horse races only. Neither firm has anything to do with online poker.

Transferring Funds

Not many people will be aware of this, but three months before the infamous Black Friday hit, when the US was smashed out of the international player pool, Norway banned credit card companies and online payment processors from any transactions facilitating gambling. 

This is exactly what happened in the USA when the UIGEA 2006 was implemented.

Not to worry too much though, because there are options. As with the situation in the USA, alternative online payment processors are available that allow Norwegian customers to move funds to and from major online poker platforms.

Attitudes are softening, however. Back in 2014 there was a relaxing of the previously zero tolerance that allowed home games to take place. Although this doesn’t directly help the Norwegian online scene, it does keep a shining light on the game as a whole in the country.

New players still have this avenue to entry to picking up poker as a hobby and can naturally gravitate to the online arena.

The Tax Problem

As you might expect, with poker legislation all heavily anti-gambling slanted in Norway the tax laws aren’t very favourable either.

As in a lot of jurisdictions, taxation for poker is centered around whether or not poker is a game of chance. There is also the issue of deciding what is a poker player’s main source of income. For many professionals this is black and white, but not in every case.

Furthermore, Norwegian tax laws have the same issue as the Greek daily tariff system. They don’t allow for losses to be factored in. This is, of course, a travesty for anybody trying to make a living at the game. It is a typical example of ill thought through laws that end up helping nobody. 

For these reasons, most Norwegian professionals were forced to move abroad to more favourable shores, such as the UK which doesn’t apply any personal taxes to gambling.

Any reader wishing to seek out the most up to date news on poker and tax in Norway should contact the Norwegian Poker Association. There you will find professional advice to guide you down the best path for you.

Videopoker in Norway

If after reading all of this regular online poker doesn’t appeal to you then what about videopoker?

From the comfort of your own home you can enjoy a spot of videopoker at Casinotopplisten.com and relax with some classic variants that are commonly found in the slots area of Las Vegas casinos.

Online poker in general has become much more competitive over the last decade with games getting tougher almost month-on-month. Not the best way to relax.

Videopoker, on the other hand, retains the idea of playing to a strategy, but without the intense concentration needed to seriously compete in a regular poker tournament or cash game. Players can also switch between videopoker variants as their mood takes them without needing to seriously switch “modes” in your head.

Summary

As you can see, online poker in Norway isn’t exactly booming right now. Due to the monopoly situation and those companies not wishing to concern themselves with online poker it doesn’t look like much will change any time soon.

That said, there is still hope due to home games now growing in popularity. Lotteries, sports betting, and online scratch cards are all provided, which, to be honest, are a bottomless pit to throw your money into, so why not offer online poker?

The situation in Poland might offer a suggestion. There, cash games are illegal but tournaments allowed. Why not build up a community based on this idea. We await news on what happens in Norway over the next 10 years but expect progress to be slow.

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