The Swiss government is taking steps to introduce new gambling regulations and lift the ban on online casinos operating within the country. Switzerland banned online gambling in 1998 but since then it has been struggling to enforce the ban, due to administrative problems. Moreover, Swiss citizens were not prohibited from accessing foreign websites and playing there, which practically meant that the ban was ineffective.
There are 20 casinos currently operating in Switzerland, including the latest brick-and-mortar casino that opened in November last year. One of the main arguments presented by lawmakers against lifting the ban on online gambling was that allowing people to play online would harm the existing casinos in the country. However, a recent report commissioned by the government revealed that the impact on land-based casinos would be virtually non-existent. This led the government to change its view and state that it was willing to allow online gambling within the country’s borders.
It is still not clear what approach the government will be adopting towards the new legislation but experts believe that it is possible to introduce regulation of online gambling establishments through a system of licences and fees. This could be done by the Online Gambling Association Switzerland, a new body that would regulate and advise on Internet gambling to meet the needs of the local online gambling providers, Online Casinos website reported.