Online poker in Switzerland

The Playtech IPOKER network has been the first online poker platform in Switzerland. The official gambling license of the Federal Gambling Authority (ESBK) allows the Swiss Casinos Group to offer online poker on its website Swisscasinos.ch on its website Swisscasinos.ch. The company’s Casino Pfäffikon-Zurichsee is responsible for the first legal online poker platform in Switzerland. After the new Swiss Geschiel Act initially made it more difficult in Switzerland, nine online gambling concessions have now been issued. In parallel to commissioning the iPoker network, the Casino de Neuchâtel also received a license for its online gambling platform.

Two years until the market entry

The partially unregulated online gambling market in Switzerland was through the new Swiss Game Act, which came into force on January 1st, 2019. From this point on, online gambling was only allowed to be offered with an official Swiss gambling license. This was part of the Swiss market for the withdrawal of the retreat of such known online poker platforms such as PokerStars, Bwin and PartyPoker. For poker players in Switzerland, a vacuum was created at least online. As an alternative solution, if you wanted to play online poker, you either had to drive abroad or use an illegal poker platform. The Swiss Casinos Group finally received an official license. The process dragged on for almost two years.

This includes the new online poker platform. The new and first official onine poker platform on the Swiss online gambling market runs through the Playtech iPoker network and introduces a small revolution in the online gambling offer in Switzerland. For the first time, Swiss players have the opportunity to legally poker on the Internet. The game offer is wide. In addition to classic tournaments in the Texas Hold´em No Limit, Pot Limit Omaha and Multi Table, small sit & go tournaments are also offered. The buy-ins at the tournaments are between CHF 0.5 Swiss (CHF) and CHF 300. In addition, the players have numerous cash game tables in the Texas Hold´em variants, Omaha, Omaha High/Low and 6-Plus Hold’em. The blinds (basic missions small blind and big blind) at the cash game tables are between 0.01 CHF/ 0.02 CHF and CHF/ 10 CHF.

Why the license allocation ultimately took so long is not entirely clear, after all, the Swiss Poker Association (SPOV) has been actively committed to awarding such licenses for several years. And although the ESBK also promised the awarding of corresponding licenses for online poker platforms, the Awarding of the concessions Keep on what the authority obtained a lot of criticism, according to various media reports. The chairman of the Swiss Poker Association, René Ruch, also described the time delay as absolute cheek.

For example, Casino Davos applied for a license for online poker in May 2019. As a poker platform, the casino of the world -famous provider of Pokerstar had been able to secure. To this day, however, the happiness license has not been issued. However, the poker license for the Swiss Casinos Group with its poker platform Ipoker from Playtech should now increase the pressure a bit and accelerate the course. It can therefore be assumed that in the not too further future the provider Poker stars on the Swiss online poker market will be represented.

Now distributed nine online gambling concessions

The casino in Neuenburg has also received a license for an online offer from the Federal Gambling Authority (ESBK). Not only the land-based Casino de Neuchâtel with its gaming tables and slot machines can now offer gambling, but also the online presence of the casino operator. Although the ESBK still has to confirm the approval for the technical platform, the website can then go directly online. According to media reports, this is Launch of the online casino planned for March 2021. In a press release from the federal gambling authority, it says:

“The Glossy Game Act, which came into force on January 1, 2019, gives the 21 Swiss casinos the opportunity to offer games online. You need a concession expansion that is granted by the Federal Council. The Federal Council has approved the request to expand the Kielbank Neuchâtel’s concession on the ESBK’s request on November 25, 2020. Before the casino can switch on its online games, the ESBK must check them and approve the individual games. ”– Jean-Marie Jordan, Director of the Federal Gambling Authority (ESBK), Press release on the official website of the ESBK

Overall, with the Casino de Neuchâtel Nine of the 21 casinos in Switzerland an official license for online gambling receive. Seven casinos have already used them to start operating an online casino. So far, only the Casino Lugano of Casinos Austria International has made no use of this option, although the license was issued in April 2020. But here, too, industry experts assume that it will not take long until the publication of an online casino.