Switzerland does online casinos the Swiss way: a short list of trusted names, strict supervision and very little grey area. It’s one of the few countries where we can tell you exactly which online casinos are legal, because there are only ten of them. Here’s how the system works and why it matters for your wallet.
Is online casino gambling legal in Switzerland?
Yes, but only at Swiss casinos. The Federal Gambling Act, in force since 1 January 2019, allows online casino games only from operators that already run a land-based casino in Switzerland and have received an extension of their concession. The Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) supervises them.
Out of 21 land-based casinos in the country, ten now run an online casino. The newest is Casino Locarno with its CasiNeo.ch platform, approved in 2026.
What happens to foreign casinos?
They get blocked. The ESBK keeps a blacklist of unlicensed gambling domains, and Swiss internet providers have to block every site on it. By 25 August 2026, the list had grown to 3,567 domains, with more than 1,000 added this year alone.
As a player, you’re not committing a crime if you visit one of these sites. But you’re on your own if a withdrawal gets stuck, because no Swiss authority can help you.
The tax detail most players miss
This is the part we find most important. Winnings from a licensed Swiss online casino are tax-free up to CHF 1 million. Winnings from a foreign, unlicensed site are treated as taxable income. So even a perfectly honest foreign casino can cost you money at tax time.
What you get at a Swiss online casino
- One self-exclusion for everything. A Swiss casino ban covers every Swiss casino, both land-based and online.
- Familiar, local brands. Each online casino is run by a real casino you can drive to, with Swiss customer support.
- Payments in Swiss francs. No currency conversion and no surprise fees.
The trade-off: Swiss sites usually offer fewer games and smaller bonuses than the big international brands.
Lotteries and sports betting
These work differently. Swisslos and Loterie Romande run lotteries and sports betting, supervised by a separate intercantonal authority called Gespa. If you only want to bet on football, that’s where you’ll end up.
How we check a Swiss casino
- Make sure it belongs to one of the licensed Swiss casinos. The ESBK publishes them.
- Look for a .ch domain and the name of the land-based casino behind it.
- Check that it pays out in CHF.
- If your browser shows a block page, that’s the ESBK blacklist at work. Don’t try to get around it.
Conclusion
Switzerland’s online casino market is small, but it’s one of the safest in Europe. Ten licensed sites, a single self-exclusion and tax-free winnings up to CHF 1 million make a strong case for staying local, even if the bonuses are smaller.
