Switzerland is edging closer to legalized gambling after the latest iGaming law proposals were approved by the parliament. The new legislation piece covers both online and land based gaming for fixed odds betting, casino games & various other gambling products. According to the existing law, every form of gambling is theoretically prohibited, however, similar to other grey market countries, no serious attempts were ever made to crack down on illegal gaming sites. The latest changes suggest that although iGaming will be perfectly legal in Switzerland, operators will have to offer their products through a Swiss domain and retain a physical presence inside the country.
Legalization Implies Compliance
Furthermore, internet service providers have been asked to lay the foundations for blocking unlicensed operators, while special tax levies have been drafted with different rates applying on the various gaming products. Although these changes are projected to offer more protection to the average player, they have been met with increased criticism by a portion of Switzerland's gamblers, as well as various liberal political parties. They in turn have asked for a referendum to be held, that will pose the serious question: Should the government be allowed to limit access to online gambling sites? The target for a referendum trigger is set at 50.000 online votes and could see Switzerland resist the trend of state regulated online gaming.