Online gambling in Switzerland
Background
Prior to 1993 casino gambling was constitutionally prohibited in Switzerland but this was changed with a referendum in that year which saw a majority of Swiss voters endorse the necessary changes to pave the way for legal casinos. Following the required amendments to the Swiss Federal Constitution, legislation allowing for the operation of casinos was enacted in 2000 (Federal Act on Casinos) and a number of casinos were issued licenses and opened their doors to gamblers.
The Federal Act on Casinos didn’t contain provisions allowing operators to offer ‘games of chance’ on the internet and consequently Swiss residents were unable to play games like blackjack, roulette or baccarat online with locally licensed/based operators. This situation saw foreign operators fill the void and tap the demand that clearly existed.
In May 2010, the Swiss Justice Ministry drafted a proposal which, subject to Parliamentary approval, would grant a limited number of licenses to approved operators. The plans were said to be primarily motivated by intent to curb the growing ‘black’ online gambling market, as well as raise tax revenues estimated at the time to be in the order of SFr 26 million annually.
In May 2014, the Swiss Federal Government published the first draft of a new bill allowing land-based casinos in Switzerland to use their licences to also operate an internet gambling service. The draft was open for consultation until 20 August 2014, and in August received the support of Inter-Cantonal Lottery and Betting Commission (Comlot). Comlot also voiced its general support for the regulation of the country’s online gambling market.
The Money Gaming Act (Geldspielgesetz) was passed by Swiss parliament late 2017 and following a referendum on its acceptance that was passed by voters June 2018, it came into effect 1 January 2019. The Act allows only Swiss based casinos and lotteries to obtain online gambling concessions. It also requires local ISPs to block all foreign online gambling sites.
Current Regulations
Switzerland’s online gambling market today is governed by the Money Gaming Act, and regulated by 2 authorities:
- Swiss Federal Gaming Board (Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission, ESBK): ESBK regulates casino gaming, including online casino activities provided by Swiss-based casinos
- Swiss Gambling Supervisory (GESPA): GESPA (formerly Comlot) regulates gambling activities run inter-cantonally like online lotteries and sports betting.
Only Swiss-based casinos and lottery operators are eligible for licenses to offer online gambling services. Once licensed they can offer a broad range of casino games online including live dealers.
Concerted efforts are made to block access to unlicensed international gambling websites to ensure that only regulated operators can offer services to Swiss residents.
Major Operators
- Grand Casino Baden: Operates the Jackpots.ch platform.
- Casino Davos: Runs Casino777.ch in collaboration with Ardent Group.
- Grand Casino Luzern: Offers online services through Mycasino.ch
Best live casinos for Swiss players
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