Denmark licenses poker clubs in their own right: nine permits against seven casinos
Spillemyndigheden's register of licensed gambling operators puts nine Danish venues under a licence category called 'public poker tournament' — more than the country's seven land-based casino licences. For once a regulator's paperwork answers the question a poker player actually has.
Most national gambling registers are useless to a poker player. They record that a company may offer gambling and leave you no wiser about whether anyone deals a hand of Hold'em against another human being. Denmark's is different, and reading it closely changes the map of where poker is played in the country.
Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gambling Authority, publishes a list of every licensed operator, last updated on 20 August 2026 when we read it on 2 October. Among the categories it uses is one that stands on its own: **public poker tournament**. Nine venues hold it — Aalborg Poker Room on Hjulmagervej in Aalborg; Cardroom Esbjerg, which plays at the IF 92 sports clubhouse on Sportsvej; Casino Næstved on Vinhusgade, which despite the name is not a licensed casino at all; Fredericia Poker Klub on Nørrebrogade; Horsens Poker Klub, whose licensed address is the village hall at Tebstrup Forsamlingshus in the Skanderborg municipality; John Tøms Poker in Frederiksværk; Poker Bornholm in Nexø; Poker København at Fuglebækvej in Kastrup; and Randers Card Room on Erik Menvedsplads.
Against that, seven venues hold a straightforward casino licence: Casino Copenhagen, Casino Vesterport in Copenhagen, Casino Aarhus, Casino Aalborg, Casino Marienlyst in Helsingør, Casino Munkebjerg near Vejle and Casino Odense.
Why the split matters more than the count. A casino licence covers table games in general, so finding one tells you nothing about whether poker is dealt between players or whether the 'poker' on the floor is a house-banked variant like Ultimate Texas Hold'em, which Casino Copenhagen lists alongside its real poker lounge. A public poker tournament licence is the opposite: the permit itself is evidence of tournament poker played between players. Nine Danish addresses can be published as poker venues on the strength of the register alone, and two of them — the village hall in Tebstrup and the sports clubhouse in Esbjerg — are places no casino-led view of the Danish scene would ever have found.
It also redraws the geography. Four of the nine sit in Jutland well outside the casino towns, and Poker Bornholm in Nexø is the only licensed poker address on Bornholm, an island with no casino licence at all.
The one Danish casino whose poker we have verified from its own pages is Casino Copenhagen, which deals Texas Hold'em and Omaha, runs cash games daily at 20:00 with registration from 17:00 and a tournament every Thursday at 19:00, and hosts DM i Poker — the Danish championship, listed for 14–20 September 2027. The other six casinos are published here as licensed casinos with their poker offer marked unconfirmed, which is what the evidence supports and no more.
One caveat about the same register, in the other direction. It is also where you can check an online brand: Unibet (Denmark) Limited, 888 Denmark Limited, Reel Denmark Limited for PokerStars and Nordic Spil Limited for Betsson all appear with Danish licences. Operators licensed in Denmark must display Spillemyndigheden's label, and the authority makes the practical point that winnings from a Danish-licensed operator have already been taxed. This is general information about how the Danish market is organised, not legal or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
How many licensed poker venues does Denmark have?
Nine hold a public poker tournament licence in Spillemyndigheden's register as last updated on 20 August 2026, alongside seven land-based casino licences.
Does a Danish casino licence mean poker is dealt?
No. It covers table games generally. Only Casino Copenhagen's player-versus-player poker has been verified from the venue's own information.