ESBK and Gespa Explained: How Swiss Gambling Licences Work
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Two authorities share Swiss gambling supervision, and knowing which one covers what is the fastest way to tell a legal offer from an unauthorised one. This guide explains the structure created by the Gambling Act in force since 2019.
The Gambling Act and the 2019 opening
The Gambling Act allowed Swiss casinos to offer online games from 1 January 2019. The right to do so is not a separate online licence: it is an extension of an existing land-based concession, granted by the Federal Council. Without a land-based Swiss casino behind it, no online casino can be authorised in Switzerland.
What the Federal Gaming Board does
The Federal Gaming Board supervises Swiss casinos, approves every individual online game before it goes live, levies the casino tax and acts against illegal gambling. It also publishes the list of casinos with online operations and maintains the blocking list of unauthorised casino domains.
What Gespa does
Gespa is the intercantonal authority for large-scale games: lotteries, sports betting and skill games. Online sports betting is offered by Swisslos and Loterie Romande. Gespa keeps its own blocking list and treats products that function economically as betting, including some prediction-market offers, as gambling.
How to verify a site in two minutes
Check whether the domain is a .ch site belonging to a casino named by the Federal Gaming Board, or a Swisslos or Loterie Romande betting product. Then check the operator's imprint for the Swiss company behind it. If the site instead shows only a foreign licence number, it is not authorised for Switzerland.
Player protection that comes with the licence
Authorised operators must verify identity, apply the social protection measures required by law, provide deposit and time limits and register gambling exclusions. These obligations are the practical reason to stay inside the authorised market rather than an abstract legal point.
Fonti e approfondimenti
- Federal Gaming Board
Supervision of Swiss casinos, game approvals and action against illegal gambling.
- Gespa
Intercantonal authority for lotteries, sports betting and skill games.