Since the beginning of 2019, Switzerland has allowed online casino gaming, but with a caveat. Only existing land-based casinos have been allowed to go online through a license extension from the Federal Council and approval on a per-game basis. That means the doors to online gaming have been open, but only to existing operators within the Swiss casino industry. Today, there are 19 land-based casinos licensed to operate in Switzerland, and that still defines who can go online.
Casino Locarno already had a Category B concession. After Stadtcasino Baden acquired a majority stake in 2022, the group moved to expand its presence in Ticino and prepare an online arm for the venue. In its reports, Baden described jackpots.ch as the first Swiss online casino to go live when the market opened in 2019. So, in this case, CasiNeo looks less like a risky new entry and more like another channel for the operator that already knows the Swiss regulations.
Enforcement Still Defines the Model
Switzerland takes its strategy beyond mere license issuance. ESBK also requires unauthorized gambling sites targeting Swiss players to be blocked, and internet providers in the country must implement this blocking. Furthermore, the regulator keeps publishing the lists of blocked sites in the Federal Gazette.
Consumer protection is also central to this strategy. In 2024, ESBK issued 18,216 new gambling bans, a 23 percent increase from the previous year. Around half of the bans resulted from the failure of players to provide evidence that they had the financial means to gamble.
What to Watch Next
Switzerland still views online casinos as an extension of the land-based gaming scene rather than a separate and competing industry. The addition of CasiNeo to the mix provides one more legal option to the audience, and Baden’s footprint becomes stronger.
However, this does not signal a softening of Bern’s stance. Rather, it suggests that Swiss authorities are comfortable expanding legal gaming options as long as they remain local, limited, and under control. The real question is whether these measures could keep offshore gaming supply in check.
