Online casinos in Switzerland

Imagine... It’s Friday night. You and your friends are dressed up to the nines and you’re now entering the grand halls of a casino. You’re immediately overcome with different impressions. Alongside the red carpet you feel under your shoes when entering the building, you can hear music from every corner, people are crowding around various slots, and roulette tables are scattered around the room. Some visitors stop in awe, while others casually stroll around in small groups. A myriad of neon lights and small flashing lights on machines and signs compete for your attention. The excitement builds. What games would you like to play first? Are you drawn to the blackjack corner in the back? Or would you rather go to the roulette tables in the middle of the huge space? No matter what you and your friends decide, you’re guaranteed to have a fabulous night.

You can already see where we’re headed. People who enter a casino dive into a completely different world. This feeling of anticipation, playing pleasure, and appeal is unlike anywhere else. There are some days or circumstances, however, when you can’t go to the casino. And sometimes, you just don’t want to leave the house, dress up, and meet people. You’d much rather relax and do what makes you happy. And that’s why there are online casinos. Here, you can easily and conveniently log in from anywhere in the world and indulge in your hobby, play roulette and other games, and still enjoy that much-adored feeling.

Online gambling in Switzerland

For a long time, the market for online casinos in Switzerland wasn’t regulated or clearly defined. Providers were able to take lots of money, and players often had no idea how reputable an online gambling platform was or where it was operated from. Providers from abroad were available here in Switzerland and able to attract players to their online casino platforms. Online gambling was swarmed by scammers and dubious providers. However, since 2019, the law regarding online casinos has been changed and there are now clear regulations. This is why foreign providers without a license were excluded from the Swiss market, which is now only open to domestic casinos. To put it simply: If you have an account with a Swiss online casino, you can rest assured that there’s a real, physical Swiss casino behind it that operates in a reputable manner. 7 Melons, for example, belongs to Grand Casino Bern (in Bern, Switzerland) and is operated legally and according to strict regulations. Now there’s nothing standing between you and online gambling.

Legal or not? How to recognize licensed online casinos

Due to the problems in the past, many people still distrust online casinos. "Will I be ripped off immediately?” and "Is this provider legitimate?” are some of the most common questions people ask themselves before registering. So, how can you determine whether an online casino provider is actually real and legal?

First off, players need to know that only casinos based in Switzerland are allowed to offer online casinos in Switzerland. Secondly, each game is thoroughly checked by the Swiss Federal Casino Commission (ESKB, "Schweizerische Spielbankenkommission”) beforehand. This is because online casinos in Switzerland can only work with certain developers. Additional aspects you can use to determine whether an online casino is legal include:

License number: Look for the license number on the provider’s website. This number is issued by the Swiss Federal government to every legally operating online casino. If the provider doesn’t have one, you can be sure it isn’t a legally operating provider.
Security: A major preconception the industry faces is security. Many believe casinos and online casinos are just scams that offer neither security measures nor player protection. But that’s not true. Swiss casinos are subject to strict safety policies. A quality casino should also offer players options for self-exclusion throughout Switzerland, loss limits, or breaks from playing. These apply to all online casinos as well as physical ones. If options like these are not available on the website, you should stay well away. Another safety measure is network blocking. This swiftly removes untrustworthy providers from network traffic and blocks them. Minors, players with an existing self-exclusion from playing, or players who are not residents of Switzerland are also not allowed to play.
Data protection & identity verification: A key aspect in online gambling is data protection & identity verification. As part of this, you verify that you are actually yourself and not somebody else. This is especially important once you start playing with real money. You might have already noticed that some casinos—such as 7 Melons, by the way—offer demo versions of games and slots. In these versions where no real money changes hands, you can develop a feel for the slots in question as well as your chances of winning. Once you feel sure, you can start gambling online.
Location: As mentioned before, the location has a lot to say about an online casino’s legality. Accordingly, it has to be obvious on the website what casino is behind the online casino. If the physical casino is not explicitly mentioned, you should definitely stay well away from the online gambling platform in question as well as their slots and other games.
Additional key points: Casinos and their online casinos offer protection against gambling addiction and ensure player protection against scams and manipulation. They have to pay all winnings and balances to the respective player’s account. At the same time, they have to pay all applicable taxes in Switzerland as well as AHV/IV social insurance levies. Anyone who isn’t sure whether an online games platform is actually legal can visit the Swiss Federal Casino Commission’s website. It lists all illegal online casinos on a blacklist.

Licenses: License A and License B

Swiss law stipulates that every Swiss casino has to be licensed. These licenses are issued by the Swiss Federal Council for a period of 20 years. Players can find the license number (in German, "Konzessionsnummer”) on the online casino’s website. Also on the 7 Melons website, players can see the license number issued as well as the Swiss casino operating in the background.

In Switzerland, there are 21 licensed casinos. 8 of these Swiss casinos have License A ("Konzession A”) and 13 have License B ("Konzession B”).

These are the differences between License A and License B:

The upper betting limit at a casino with License B must not exceed CHF 25.
The cantons where casinos with License B are located are permitted to charge a cantonal levy on the gross game income. Games operated online are excluded from this. This levy may not be higher than 40 percent of the total casino taxes the Swiss Federal state is entitled to. The cantonal levy is accordingly deducted from Swiss Federal tax.

FAQs

Are online casinos permitted in Switzerland?

Yes, they are. Since 2019, the law regarding online gambling has been changed in such a way that only casinos located in Switzerland are permitted to operate an online casino. These online casinos are subject to the strictest of regulations.

How many legal online casinos are there in Switzerland?

At the moment, there are 11 legal online casinos operated by Swiss casinos. If another physical casino launches an online casino, it will need to be authorized by the government. These online casinos are listed on www.esbk.admin.ch (in German). Casinos online offer many well-known games such as roulette or poker and various slot games.

Is online gambling secure?

Thanks to strict regulations, network blocking of unlicensed providers, and regular reviews, online gambling in Switzerland is very secure. If you still have concerns about certain online casinos, always pay attention to the following: the online casino must have a license number (in German, "Konzessionsnummer”), the casino operating it as well as its location has to be shown, and there should be security measures (e.g., self-exclusion) available.

What is an e-wallet?

Nowadays, we don’t use cash anymore to pay. Therefore, e-wallets are electronic wallets that people use to pay for their purchases. In the casino industry, e-wallets are part of day-to-day business. 7 Melons accepts Apple Pay, Paysafecard, and Aplauz, among others.