First Swiss online casinos set to go live in July
Local land-based operators among first set of applicants for new online casino licences
Switzerland’s first four online casinos could go live as early as July this year, following the submission of applications to the country’s Federal Gaming Board (ESBK).
The applicants are four of the country’s land-based casino operators: Grand Casino Baden AG, Grand Casino Davos AG, Grand Casino Lucerne and Casino Zürichsee AG. Details of all four applications were published in Switzerland’s Official Journal on Wednesday.
According to reports in the Swiss media, Grand Casino Baden AG has applied for two licences, one for each of its proposed online casino sites.
The ESBK will now review the applications before passing them to the Swiss Federal Council for final approval. Applicants are required to have their games certified under new technical requirements included in the Money Gaming Act (MGA).
Online casino games must also be designed in such a way that they are accompanied by appropriate measures to protect players against excessive gambling. The casinos are considered as financial intermediaries and are subject to the Swiss Money Laundering Act.
Under the MGA, local land-based casino operators have a six-year exclusivity period in applying for egaming licences. All international operators are barred from the Swiss market for this period.
Online casino licences are valid for a 20-year period, with operators being taxed at 20% of gross gaming revenue (GGR) up to a threshold of CHF3m (£2.3m). Any revenues above this threshold are taxed at 80%.
Two more land-based casino operators from Bern and Neuchâtel are also reportedly ready to submit online casino applications to the ESBK, but these have yet to be confirmed by regulators.
In July, new regulations will come into force allowing the ESBK to block the ISP’s of all international online operators, however concerns remain that many Swiss players will use virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent these restrictions.
Additional reported regulations that would require international operators to have a so-called “good reputation” prior to any potential business agreements with Swiss online casino operators have not formally been published by the ESBK.
These regulations would prohibit collaborations between local operators and any international partners who have had previous dealings with Swiss operators under the old gambling law during the last five years.