Swiss Regulators Work Around The Clock: List Of Banned Online Bookies Grows
The Swiss Gambling Regulators, the Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission and Comlot have expanded the list of gaming platforms that received the status of unlicensed gaming operators. The first blacklists of illegal gambling platforms appeared back in September 2019.
From time to time, the list of illegal operators expands and gradually includes new domain names. This applies to online casinos that operate in Switzerland without the required official permission.
Currently, the blacklist consists of more than 33 gaming platforms, with 12 newcomers added. The newly minted list of illegal platforms includes such well-known names as:
- casinobuck.com.
- casinomia.com.
- casoo.com.
- cookiecasino.com.
- crazyfox.com.
- duxcasino.com.
- gratowin.com.
- greenspin.bet.
- kingbillycasino.com.
- live.casino.
Throughout the country, Internet providers are obliged, without exception, to block access to all sites included in the so-called blacklist. The last update of the list of illegal bookies was carried out in May 2020. At the time, the official regulator of gambling operators, the Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission, added 4 new domains to the list. However, nothing is surprising here. Switzerland has one of the most regulated legal frameworks regarding the activities of online casinos.
Features Of The Swiss Gambling Market
Almost until 1993, gambling was officially banned in Switzerland. Even after the adoption of the new law, the ban was not completely lifted. However, casinos were able to do business with a limited betting offer. The gradual development of the industry led to the fact that gambling houses received more preferences. Later, Casino Gambling introduced long-awaited amendments to remove possible betting restrictions in casinos. The gaming culture is at a reasonably high level in Switzerland. About a fifth of citizens are considered active players, and more than half of the population actively participates in the state lottery. In total, Switzerland boasts 19 casinos as well as 11 racetracks.
There is only one gambling house in each of the Swiss cantons. However, each of them includes a wide variety of slot machines and accepts bets. Although the state strictly regulates the market for online operators, it seems that it is not a problem for the Swiss to find a casino outside their country. The majority of residents speak fluent French, German, and Italian. Therefore, finding an online casino is a matter of a few minutes. Moreover, Swiss banks rarely block the transfer of funds to casinos outside the country.
Popular Markets For Online Betting
Most residents prefer to place bets on horse racing and lotteries. However, locals are also actively betting on football. The country has one of the most passionate football fans. Due to the high concentration of ski resorts, the Swiss are also actively betting on popular winter sports. In land-based casinos, poker is the number one choice. Since 2006, the country has also hosted an annual poker championship. This event is one of the most exciting for gamblers. The tournament usually occurs at the end of September at the Grand Casino Bern or Grand Casino Baden.
A robust legislative framework concerning the regulation of gambling does not prevent the state from receiving sufficiently large tax payments from gambling operators.
Even though casinos often support charities, the authorities are still concerned about the growing level of gambling addiction. It seems that the situation is developing in such a way that most likely, the government will inevitably continue to legalize online gambling and gradually increase the number of international operators.