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Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world and the richest in Europe, so it's perhaps unsurprising that it has one of the world's highest casino per capita ratios. However, many gambling activities in the country are tightly regulated; others come under monopoly or duopoly control. Read on for full details of Switzerland's gambling laws.

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Some forms of gambling in Switzerland have been legal since 1923, with the country's Federal Law on Games of Chance and Casinos making some restricted forms of casino gambling legal in 1993. In 2019, the Federal Act on Money Games made online gambling legal to a certain degree.

Gambling licences are issued by the Swiss Federal Gaming Board, with lottery licences issued by Gespa, the Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority. Let's look at how Switzerland's gambling regulations apply to the various gambling activities.

Casino Games

Casino gambling is legal in Switzerland and has been since 1998. There is a cap on the number of casinos operating within the country, with all 21 licences currently awarded. Venues fall into one of 2 categories: A for Grand Casinos (stakes can exceed 25 CHF, no limit to the number of tables/machines, progressive jackpots allowed), of which there are 10, and B for Resort/Spa Casinos (stakes cannot exceed 25 CHF, limit of 3 tables, no progressive jackpots), of which there are 11. Since Switzerland's 26 cantons (member states) can determine their gambling regulations, a few do not allow casino gambling.

Online casino gambling has been legal in Switzerland since 2019. The country limits 21 online casino licences that can be held anytime. One of these licences can be acquired only if the operator is or partners with an existing licensed land-based casino. The Swiss can only play online casino slots and other games at licensed sites, as the country's internet service providers block unlicensed websites.

Poker

Poker gambling has been legal in Switzerland since 1993. However, the game went from growing rapidly in popup poker clubs after being deemed a game of chance and skill in 2007 to being reclassified as a game of pure chance and restricted once again to licensed casinos in 2010. At present, banked and non-banked poker games can still only be played within licensed casinos.

Online poker gambling is legal in Switzerland and has been since 2019. As is the case for online casino gambling, operators must either be or partner with existing licensed casinos to be eligible for an online poker licence. In reality, high tax rates mean few poker sites currently hold an online gambling licence in Switzerland.

Bingo

In Switzerland, bingo is a lottery-type game and was one of the only forms of gambling legally permitted during the ban from 1923 to 1993. The country's two state-owned lottery companies, Swisslos and Loterie Romande, offer bingo games to residents. Still, private companies can also apply for a licence from Gespa (the Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority). Games must be run on a small scale within a single canton and cannot be offered online (unless run by state-owned operators). As such, there are no bingo halls, with most games running at licensed casinos.

Online bingo gambling is also legal in Switzerland. Still, the state-owned company, Swisslos, operates a monopoly on the activity, with no other companies allowed to offer online bingo games in the country. Unlicensed bingo sites are blocked in Switzerland.

Lotteries

Lottery gambling has been legal in Switzerland since 1923 and was one of the only forms of gambling permitted in the country during the 70-year ban. The activity is offered on a monopoly (really a duopoly) basis by Swisslos and Loterie Romande, both state-owned licensed companies. However, individual cantons have the authority to license local lotteries, which is the only exception to the duopoly. In legal terms, private companies can apply for a licence to offer lottery games in Switzerland, but no such licence has been awarded to date.

Online lottery gambling is also legal in Switzerland, with residents able to play online games for real money via the duopoly companies Swisslos and Loterie Romande, as both have an online presence.

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According to gambling laws in Switzerland, loot boxes, look boxes and skins have a monetary value or can be bought, subject to gambling activities to licensing laws. This is difficult to enforce, with such sites not yet blocked. Social casinos, i.e. online sites or apps that offer the ability to play casino games using only play chips, fall outside Switzerland's stake-based casino gambling criteria and are not classed as gambling.

Even though cryptocurrencies are a legally recognized form of currency and are regulated in Switzerland, the stance on crypto casinos is a little less clear. As it stands, none of the land-based gambling establishments or operators currently accept cryptocurrencies. However, some licensed online casinos can deposit and play in cryptocurrencies using third party payment processors and crypto wallets.

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Like lottery gambling, sports betting is legal in Switzerland and has been since 1923, but it is a duopoly controlled by Swisslos and Loterie Romande. Swisslos offers sports betting via their subsidiary Sporttip, while Loterie Romande offers pari-mutuel horse racing betting. Both operators allow the Swiss to bet on sports via their respective websites.

Although technically, it's illegal for any other operator to offer online sports betting to residents of Switzerland, some licensed online casinos manage to find a way around this by adding a sportsbook later and declaring their profits as coming from online casino gambling activity. In any case, unlicensed online sportsbooks are blocked by the country's internet service providers. Although residents are illegal to visit such sites, they are not prosecuted.

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The general legal gambling age in Switzerland is 18. However, only those aged 21 or over are legally permitted to enter casinos in the canton of Graubünden.

Tax Regulation

Switzerland's gambling tax regulation means tax rates are the second highest in Europe after France. Land-based operators are liable to pay 40% to 80% tax on gross revenue, while online gambling operators are subject to 20% to 80% tax. This is in addition to corporation tax, which ranges from 11.9% to 21.6%. For players, winnings from licensed land-based and online establishments are tax-free, but those obtained from unlicensed operators are subject to income tax.

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Gambling legislation in Switzerland was mentioned in the Swiss Federal Constitution as far back as 1874, with the country's first casino, Casino Barrière de Montreux, built in 1881. Gambling was outright banned in 1921, but the Act on Lotteries and Commercial Betting in 1923 exempted lottery and lottery-type games.

The ban remained in place until 1993, when only limited gambling activities were legalized, e.g. restricted stakes casino gambling. A referendum on casino gambling was added to the Swiss Constitution in the form of 1998's Federal Act on Games of Chance and Casinos, with more than 70% of the country's population voting for new gambling laws. In 2000, gambling laws were relaxed and in 2019, the Federal Act on Money Games legalized online gambling under certain conditions.

Key Facts

Switzerland has an interesting mix of gambling laws, with some activities freely available and others much more tightly controlled. Here's a round-up of the key points regarding gambling in Switzerland:

• Casino gambling is legal in Switzerland, with 21 casinos currently licensed to operate (a small number of cantons still do not permit casino gambling).
• Online casino gambling is legal, including at live casino sites, but only those who currently operate or partner with an existing land-based casino can apply for a license. Online and offline poker gambling is legal, but only licensed operators can offer games.
• Bingo gambling is legal but falls under the monopoly control of Swisslos.
• Lottery gambling is legal, but it is under the duopoly control of Swisslos and Loterie Romande.
• Sports betting is also legal, but again, Sporttip (owned by Swisslos) and Loterie Romande can only offer activities.