Switzerland ESBK Federal Gaming Board (ESBK)
Switzerland's casino regulator. Under the Money Gaming Act confirmed by a 2018 referendum, only Swiss land-based casinos can run online casinos, and about 3,000 foreign sites are blocked.
| English | Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) |
|---|---|
| Classification | Licenses & Regulation |
| Authority | Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) |
| Location | Bern, Switzerland |
| Legal basis | Money Gaming Act (73% approval in 2018 referendum, in force January 1, 2019) |
| Land-based casinos | 20 (9 Type A, 11 Type B) |
| Online casinos | Extension of land-based casino licenses, 9 (November 2025) |
| Casino tax | 40-80% of revenue (progressive) |
| Tax use | Old-age and survivors' insurance fund |
| Foreign site blocking | About 3,000 sites |
| Related authority | Gespa for lotteries and sports betting |
Overview
The ESBK (Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission, Swiss Federal Gaming Board) is Switzerland’s casino regulator, based in the capital, Bern. It oversees land-based and online casinos, while lotteries and sports betting are handled by a separate body created jointly by several cantons, Gespa. Small regional lotteries and betting are managed by each canton.
In a June 2018 referendum, Switzerland passed its new Money Gaming Act with 73% in favor, and it took effect on January 1, 2019. The law legalized online casinos for the first time, but only companies holding a land-based casino license in Switzerland may operate them.
Casino licensing system
Switzerland has 20 land-based casinos. There are two types of licenses.
| Type | Number | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Type A (grand casino) | 9 venues | No betting limit, all casino tax goes to the pension fund |
| Type B (regional casino) | 11 venues | Maximum bet of CHF 25 per slot machine spin, cantons may impose additional taxes |
New casinos were also planned, with openings scheduled in Winterthur (2025) and Prilly in the canton of Vaud (2026).
Online casinos
Land-based casinos can operate online casinos by “extending” their existing license. As of November 2025, 9 had received an online extension license. Large foreign operators can’t enter directly and can take part only by partnering with Swiss casinos to supply technology or games.
Taxes
Swiss casino tax is very high. It is 40% up to CHF 10 million in revenue, then rises by 0.5 percentage points for every additional CHF 1 million, up to a maximum of 80%. The tax mainly goes to the old-age and survivors’ insurance (AHV) fund. In Switzerland, people even say that “casinos pay for pensions.”
Blocking foreign sites
Since July 2019, Switzerland has been blocking unlicensed foreign online casino sites on the internet. The block list grows every year and reached nearly 3,000 sites at the end of 2025. The blocking policy had sparked internet censorship controversy before it took effect, but it went ahead as planned once the law was confirmed by referendum.
Gambling problems
According to Swiss surveys, the share of people showing excessive gambling behavior rose from 3.1% in 2017 to 4.3% in 2022, reaching about 308,000 people. Switzerland runs a nationwide unified self-exclusion register, and since January 2025 it has also shared the register with neighboring Liechtenstein.
Rating
The Swiss model opens the online market while giving existing domestic casinos a monopoly, a “closed” approach. It blocks foreign operators and puts high taxes toward social security, which is the opposite of Malta or the UK, which open their markets abroad. Lithuania can be viewed alongside it as a similar closed example.
Location
The ESBK is located in Bern, the capital of Switzerland.