Online betting is no longer allowed in Switzerland

Bad news for Swiss bettors, but even more for online betting sites, because the legislator has just passed a law to block their domains.

The exponential growth of the online betting industry today is only the obvious consequence of technological advances, and it is clear that this market is attracting more and more people both at the level of operators and Players. In spite of this, it is undeniable to say that a certain anarchy is observed in the field, and that is why some jurisdictions have decided to clean up their market by taking firm decisions, with a view to protecting Integrity and safety of amateurs. This is the case, for example, of Switzerland which has just passed a law to block the domains of online betting sites operating on its territory.

The reasons underlying this decision

As a reminder, the draft law to block the areas of online betting sites operating in Switzerland had been under consideration for some time, but it was necessary for parties to express dissatisfaction with a number of That the legislator is finally addressing the issue. Indeed, physical casino operators have complained about the decline in their turnover, which according to them is due to unfair competition from their internationally accredited online counterparts who offer betting activities to their fellow citizens.

A salutary decision, but which also makes many dissatisfied

If, from an objective point of view, the adoption of this law arranges a priori the managers of physical casinos, the providers of Internet Services consider themselves to be disadvantaged. They expressed their disapproval by saying that if Swiss physical casinos were to be the main beneficiaries of the blocking of online betting domains, they should then accept to pay the additional costs that will be invoiced unfairly to them. They even went further by explaining consistently that the blocking of betting domains implemented in other jurisdictions has not been fully effective in preventing local bettors from exploring other options on the net. In any case, the law has been passed, and Internet service providers will have to comply with the new regulations.

Towards the promotion of local operators?

Although some senior officials find it hard to admit, the adoption of this law is likely to give monopoly to physical casino operators who are none other than locals. The legislator has even decided that they will now be the only ones holding a license to operate games online. Will the blocking of online betting domains in Switzerland revitalize the market? Only the future will tell us.