Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission (ESBK)

All casino gambling in Switzerland was completely outlawed in 1874, and this ban wasn't lifted until as recently as March 7, 1993. Online gambling was not regulated in Switzerland until the Gambling Act was implemented on January 1, 2019, having previously been approved by the Swiss population. This legislation gave all licensed land-based casinos the option to also offer their services online.

The Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission, or Federal Casino Commission, is the regulator responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations outlined in the Gambling Act. As well as granting licenses and license extensions, the commission enforces the safe and transparent operation of games, player protection and adherence to the regulations regarding combating money laundering and the funding of terrorism.

How to check a license

There are currently 21 licensed land-based casinos in Switzerland of the maximum allowed 23, and 10 of these offer online gambling services at the time of writing. To be sure that a site is legitimate, players can check the register of licensed online casinos.

In order to combat illegal gambling sites in Switzerland, internet service providers must technically block access to any sites that are not licensed to operate in the country, and the ESBK also maintains a blacklist of unauthorized sites to help protect players.

Complaints

Currently, there is no specific procedure outlined by the commission for submitting a complaint to them, but should a player have a dispute that they are not able to settle with the operator of the casino in question, it is possible to contact the ESBK directly via the contact form on the website.

Responsible Play

All of the casinos must provide options to players to allow them to control and limit the length of time spent playing, how often they play and how much money they can lose. The ability to personally request an exclusion must also be available at each licensed website.

Further to this, the Gambling Act obliges operators to implement an exclusion if they suspect that a player is betting more than they can afford to, or is facing financial difficulty. Any exclusion, whether requested by the operator or by the player, will be entered into a national register that prevents gambling in all casinos, online games, lotteries and sports betting across Switzerland.

Gambling exclusions are taken very seriously. For an exclusion to be removed, it must be requested by the person that first imposed it, and only if the reason for it is no longer relevant.

Contact Information

Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission

Address: Eigerplatz 1, CH-3003 Bern

Tel: +41 58 463 12 04

Website: https://www.esbk.admin.ch/