Switzerland to start blocking foreign casinos

The new gambling law in Switzerland that came into effect in January introduces a blocking on foreign casinos on July 1.

Switzerland.- The gambling market in Switzerland went through major changes with the start of the new year. As part of those changes and in order to safeguard the local industry, the local gambling regulator will start blocking foreign websites on July 1.

The measure approved last year establishes that foreign online gambling operators are prohibited but it legalises licenced iGaming companies. It also established that it would start considering and granting licences during the first six months of the year. According to Switzerland’s Federal Council, local citizens spend around €220 million in foreign operators.

From July 1, local gamblers will only be able to bet online with Swiss companies that pay taxes and implement player protection measures. A list of unauthorised gambling providers will be published on the websites of the Federal Gaming Commission and the Lotteries and Betting Commission, SwissInfo reports.

Swiss telecommunications providers will block the sites on the blacklist by DNS. The local gambling regulator said that those companies that voluntarily withdraw from the local market won’t be blocked.

Furthermore, gamblers from Sweden that are already registered in foreign casinos will be forced to contact them directly if they wish to recover the money from their sites as the Swiss regulator has no jurisdiction over them.