Although Scandinavia consists of several countries, each with their own legal systems and their own traditions, the laws of gambling are more or less universal across the region. It seems that even in the cold north, you will struggle to find a bookmaker or a casino to warm you up and stave off the boredom of those long winters. However, as is always the case with gambling, there are some exceptions to these rules and some loopholes that work around them.
Scandinavia has a rich history, and gambling goes back a long way here. In 1020 it is reported that the kings of Sweden and Norway rolled dice to decide who would get a certain piece of territory, and games of chance were also practiced by many Viking tribes. Over the years, these games were phased out and outlawed, which is perhaps part of the reason that games of skill, such as poker, have become so popular in the region. Not only do these games regularly create loopholes in gambling laws, but they create a sense of community and promise big payouts to people who put in the time and effort.
In the early twenty-first century, poker fans in Finland took the game Chinese Poker and tweaked it, creating Open-Face Chinese Poker. In a short time this game made it into Russia and then the US, and now this game is played by the biggest players in the world, featured at the World Series of Poker and tipped to be the next big thing. So, not only do Scandinavians excel at these games, but they are also a dab hand at creating them.
Online gambling is illegal in most Scandinavian countries. There are exceptions though. In Norway, for instance, it is acceptable if the gambling is being offered by one of the two licensed providers. And in all countries, “outside” gambling sites, those based in Europe and in International territories, are popular. The governments are trying their best to limit access to these, but you can still find a lot of Scandinavian players on sportsbooks, casinos and on poker sites like Pokerstars. In fact, many of the best players come from this region, including the Swede Viktor Blom, who plays under the name Isildur1 and is one of the richest players in the world, despite starting his online career when he was underage.
There was a law passed in 2010 that forbade Norwegians from gambling on foreign sites, but this law is regularly broken and as of yet, nothing has been done to actually limit their access to these sites.
In Norway, gambling is mostly illegal, but there are a couple of companies that are allowed to offer gambling services. The services offered include trackside horse racing, lotteries and sports betting. The laws are not kind away from these two companies though and it is even illegal to arrange home games of poker, or any other gambling game for that matter.
Finland is a little different and is actually a proud poker nation. There are many top poker players from Finland, including some of the richest in the world, and they have a long and proud heritage when it comes to this game of skill.
Sweden and Denmark have laws similar to those of their neighbours Norway, but with gambling being very popular in this region on the whole, there are reforms on the horizon that could change the entire gambling industry in Scandinavia.
Horse racing is popular in Norway, although this is considerably different to the horse racing you will find in the UK, Ireland and Dubai. In Sweden, Svenska Spel provide most of the gambling, and thanks to a law that was passed in 2002, they are able to offer everything from online poker to bingo and scratchcards. In Finland, the Casino Helsinki is where most of the gambling takes place, and the profits from this casino actually go back into the community, with most of it going to help gambling addicts. In fact, both of the two legal casinos in Finland operate in much the same way. In Denmark, online gambling is relatively popular, as are fantasy sports, and imminent changes to the gambling laws in this country could create more freedoms for its gamblers.
Sports are big in Scandinavia, with football typically leading the way. All countries in this region have strong International football sides, perhaps the best of which is Sweden, who are a regular feature at the football World Cup. Handball is also popular here, as are many winter sports. These sports get a lot of action on the sportsbooks, but perhaps the most traditional way to gamble in the region is through poker.
This game and all of its variants are popular across Scandinavia, and as well as Viktor Blom, who we mentioned above, the game is also played at professional level by many other Scandinavians, including Gus Hansen, Peter Eastgate, Chris Bjorin and Annette Obrestad, who, like Viktor Blom, began when she was underage.
It has been said that on average, per person, the Swedes gamble about £200 each per year. The figure is a fraction less for Norwegians and around the same for other Scandinavian residents. This might not sound like much, but this spend trumps many other countries, including those where gambling is widely available.
In Norway alone, the remote gambling market is said to generate around £500 million a year, about twice that of Sweden, and across the region illegal gambling is on the increase, with around 15% of all gambling in these countries being illegal. Considering the size of these countries, that is quite the amount.
