GGPoker in Norway — What the Law and the Tax Office Actually Say

Norway is not on GGPoker's list of restricted countries, so Norwegian players can register. But Norway's gambling regulator says plainly that no operator holds a permit to offer real-money poker online in Norway, and the tax office treats winnings from foreign sites less favourably than most players expect. This page sets out both, from the primary sources. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Is GGPoker legal in Norway?

Norway's Gaming Authority, Lotteritilsynet, states that no operator has permission to offer poker for stakes and prizes online in Norway. GGPoker is not licensed there; nobody is. Norwegian law is aimed at operators and at the marketing of gambling rather than at players, and Norway applies payment restrictions to unlicensed gambling transactions — so deposits and withdrawals can fail even where registration works.

That is a description of how the regime works, not a promise about your own position.

Tax on winnings

The Norwegian Tax Administration treats winnings above 10,000 kr from commercial foreign gaming — online casinos are its own example — as taxable, as a rule. Foreign gaming is only tax-free if it is comparable to what may legally be offered in Norway and its entire profit goes to charitable or non-profit purposes; a commercial poker room does not meet that test.

For regular players there is a second point. Winnings that rely on experience, knowledge and resourcefulness and turn a profit over time are treated as business income, which is always taxable. That describes a winning poker player closely. If you play seriously, take advice.

Why Norwegian players play online at all

Because there is almost nothing else. Norway has no casinos and no licensed card rooms. Private home games are legal but capped at 20 players and 1,000 kr per player per session. The one legal tournament series is the annual Norgesmesterskap i poker, run by charities under a state permit that caps each player's loss at 20,000 kr and the first prize at 2 million kr.

Every player on Norway's all-time money list — Kayhan Mokri, Espen Jørstad, Felix Stephensen, Annette Obrestad and the rest — built their record abroad.

Before you deposit

Check GGPoker's current terms for Norway, expect that payments may be blocked, keep records for the tax office, and do not assume winnings are tax-free because they were small or occasional.