Virtual gambling in Switzerland was regulated in 2019 with the “New Gaming Act” (BGS), which focuses on the protection of players. All games with real money stakes should be safe and transparent and all winnings from lotteries and sports betting should be used for charitable purposes It was important to the EBSK – the Swiss Federal Gaming Board – that part of the casinos ’ gross gaming revenue should flow into old-age, survivors’ and disability insurance.
A revised gaming law has been in place since July 2021, which only allows Swiss people to play with national providers. Casinos with a European license that do not pay details in the country are to be blocked.
All online casinos in Switzerland work with a license extension and belong to a local casino. There are currently 21 land-based Swiss casinos and 11 online casinos. If you want to know which Swiss casinos are allowed, you will find an overview of online casinos, their offers and games, as well as information about which local casino they belong to on time2play.com .
Experts evaluate their performance here and give players valuable tips when choosing a new casino.
Effects on Swiss players
It is therefore clear that Swiss players – if they strictly adhere to the guidelines – are severely restricted in their choice of online casinos. You currently only have a small selection of online casinos, which are very similar in their offer.
While non-licensing casinos are frowned upon in Switzerland, they do allow Swiss players to register. Only those who play here have to be aware that they don’t have a contact person in the country if a dispute arises. There are arbitration boards, but in Europe, where Swiss law does not apply.
The main differences between a Swiss casino and a casino licensed in Europe will now be explained.
license
The Swiss casinos are in possession of a license extension that allows them to run an online casino. Well-known gambling authorities in Europe can be found in Malta, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, United Kingdom, with the Malta Gaming Authority being certainly the most well-known and strictest authority. Recently, national licenses have also been granted in Germany, and the first German casinos are already on the market.
Gambling authorities ensure that providers take care of player protection and responsible gaming. It must always be possible to withdraw all customer funds at once. These must also be kept separate from company funds. At a licensed casino, the player must always be able to leave the casino or find links to organizations that offer help.
Number of games
Hundreds of games are not uncommon in an online casino in Switzerland. But if you can’t get enough of games, there are thousands of games available in casinos with a European license. The games come from reputable and world-renowned software companies that are themselves licensed by the authorities. Here you can be sure that the games will deliver fair results. This is ensured by a random number generator, or RNG for short, or Provably Fair technology, which is often used in crypto casinos.
Payments
When it comes to deposits, Swiss casinos do not differ so much from other casinos. Credit cards, e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller, Paysafecard or bank transfers can be found with most providers.
Withdrawals from Swiss casinos are usually only possible to a bank account, which means that the withdrawal can take a few days. At an MGA casino, withdrawals are also possible to e-wallets, most of which are processed within 24 hours.
However, there is one license that stands out from the other gambling licenses with a special feature. Operators with a license from Curaçao give players the opportunity to make payments with cryptocurrencies .
Whether Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum or other digital assets, deposits can be made quickly and securely. Payouts also only take a few minutes.
Verification
What all reputable licensed online casinos have in common is verification before making a withdrawal. The operator expects the player to identify himself and prove his identity with documents. These “Know Your Customer” guidelines serve to put a stop to money laundering on the Internet. If a casino imposes this procedure, this is not a harassment for the player, but a precautionary measure and confirmation of seriousness.
In an online casino Switzerland, the customer knows that he is on the safe side. If there are problems, he can always turn to an office in Switzerland for help. The selection of games and the choice of payment services are, however, smaller with the national operators. The casinos with a European license also have to comply with guidelines and regulations in order to offer protection to the players. If there are problems, there is no Swiss authority available for arbitration, but a European one.