Switzerland online casinos for Real Money

Switzerland first legalised gambling back in 1923. However, until 1993, only lotteries were deemed legal in the land-locked country. The Federal Act on Gambling altered the situation in 2000, and this was followed by the Federal Act on Lotteries and Commercial Betting. Between these two acts, most forms of land-based gambling are deemed legal in Switzerland. There are over twenty land-based casinos in Switzerland today.

In 2019, the Swiss authorities decided to pass an amendment to the Federal Act on Games of Chance. This effectively legalised most forms of online gambling. Offshore operators were welcomed into the country, reversing years of ISP (internet service provider) blocks on foreign gambling sites. Despite not being a member of the European Union, Switzerland’s gambling laws are more aligned with EU legislation and directives than many of its member states.

Swiss players won’t have everything their own way, though. They must still sign up and play at Swiss licensed casinos and sports betting sites. The Swiss authorities do still try to block unlicensed sites, although there is no penalty in place for betting at such sites. It is worth noting that Switzerland has enacted legislation to prevent their financial institutions from processing payments to any recognisable gambling sites that aren’t licensed in Switzerland.

Switzerland’s gambling regulation is handled by the Swiss Federal Gaming Board, also known as SFGB. The exception here is the lottery, which is run by the Intercantonal Lotteries and Betting Board, known as Comlot. Each canton (or region) is signed up to Comlot, so even canton-based lotteries fall under its jurisdiction.

As for the Swiss Federal Gaming Board, they have the power to regulate various aspects of the industry and hand out licenses to gambling companies. There is a cap of twenty-one land-based gambling licenses, while Swiss players can choose from over a dozen online casinos. There doesn’t appear to be a cap on the number of online gambling licenses.

Of course, obtaining a gambling license in Switzerland is not a straightforward process. To begin with, an operator must have a connection with one of Switzerland’s brick-and-mortar casinos. This has limited the number of venues Swiss online bettors can head to. However, many simply choose to visit offshore casinos using a VPN and bypass the Swiss banking blocks by using offshore bank accounts or cryptocurrencies.

Swiss players must be aged 18 or older to gamble, except in Graubünden’s canton, where the legal age limit is 21. Sports betting, oddly enough, is not regulated in Switzerland. This makes it one of the most popular ways to gamble in the European country. At the same time, slot gaming and poker games are also quite popular at online betting sites. Lottery games also hold quite a lot of weight with Swiss bettors, and there are several of them for Swiss players to choose from.

Switzerland isn’t really home to any major software providers. However, don’t let that worry you. Swiss licensed casinos have deals with most major, top-tier casino software developers. You can regularly find titles from established providers, so you won’t be short of games to play. Swiss licensed casinos tend to feature titles from over a dozen developers, with several hundred titles for you to choose from at the minimum.

Swiss-licensed online casinos are only open to players registered as living in Switzerland. You won’t have much luck trying to sign up and play at these sites from outside the country. On the upside, these casinos do carry decent games and definitely accept Swiss Francs. Moreover, Switzerland’s financial institutions are cleared to process payments to and from these casinos and your account. It is a different story at offshore betting sites.

When you choose to play at offshore casinos, Swiss banking options become unavailable. Moreover, only a handful of these sites accept the CHF currency. However, it is not impossible to find offshore casinos offering gameplay in German, French or Italian – the primary languages of Switzerland. Moreover, these sites aren’t limited to players in Switzerland, with a lot more flexibility shown regarding who can play there.