Best Online Casinos for Swiss Players

Introduction

Swiss gamblers have far more legitimate options to gamble today than they had for a very long time. With 21 land-based casinos offering games of chance like slots, blackjack, and roulette, they also have small online poker tournaments and government-authorized online casinos.

The government in each canton (state) and collectively has taken great pains to keep residents of Switzerland focused on the state-sanctioned online gambling sites through a series of measures that include website (DNS) and payment blocking. The current law was designed to capture the outflow of money from residents but kept casino gambling focused on the locals rather than as an 'export'. The law doesn't necessarily reflect European Union and the European Economic Area standards, it is strictly a Swiss law.

Gaming providers that do not block access to Swiss players from within Switzerland will not be able to obtain a license to serve the market. Players who wish to look outside the realm for more interesting games, better bonus offers, and potentially better odds need to use modern internet craft to defeat the blockades. If you wanted to visit a blocked gaming site and there are hundreds if not thousands of them, you would need to use a VPN or another masking service. 

Swiss players, subject to the 2019 gambling law are fortunate in one respect... if an unlicensed operator inside or outside of the country is faced with criminal proceedings for operating without a valid Swiss license, players can only expect to lose any stakes or winnings but they won't be punished. Since any blocked site can be reached and several decentralized and alternative payment methods exist, all the adventurous Swiss player really needs to do is choose an offshore operation that will be there for them in the event of such a situation.

It's our opinion that the following sites are the best places for gamblers in Switzerland to play if they choose to venture offshore.

Recommended Online Casinos

Tips for Swiss Online Gambling

When choosing an online gambling site, take into account the following factors if you're interested in gambling safely and having the most enjoyable experience possible from the time of your first deposit until you land your big payout. Some things to consider...

Read reviews from reputable sites. While many offshore and other out-of-country providers will never be held to account for providing unauthorized gambling services in Switzerland and will bend the rules of business to offer a product they believe you should be the final arbiter of, some of them are ethically challenged and have no concern for players - they just want your money. Reading reviews from trusted sites, especially those that include a rating and ranking system based on real player feedback can be an invaluable tool. We recommend the following sites as trusted review portals.

Trusted Portals

• WorldCasinoDirectory.com
• KeyToCasinos.com
• LCB.org

Familiarize yourself with the operators the terms and conditions. While it might seem like hard work and boring, the terms and conditions can inform the smart player on several levels. If something looks murky or predatory, it probably is. You can trust your instincts and move along to another site that seems more user-friendly.

Look at our blacklist so you can avoid any and all of the casinos listed there. With new operations emerging every day, there's no way we can keep up with all of them at once or follow user feedback when small disputes occur, but we can identify operators you should not even consider giving your business to. Over the years this list has grown and we maintain it for integrity. You might even find a property or two that was once pariah but has shown, over time and sometimes through a change in management or even ownership, that they have changed their evil ways. When that happens we leave them on the list and explain the reason they are no longer considered a risk. That is rare but it does happen. 

Live Dealer options for Swiss players

If you've ever been to a full-scale brick-and-mortar casino with table games you may know the thrill of playing against not only the odds but a live dealer. Most online operators now offer a live dealer component with games like roulette, blackjack, baccarat (Punto Banco), and more. The games are live-streamed over HTML5 video in real-time. We suggest the following sites if you’re thinking about playing live dealer table games:

Licensed casinos in Switzerland

There are less than a dozen online licenses available to the land-based casinos of Switzerland. Visiting the websites of Casino Baden, Lucerne, Pfäffikona, Davos, etc., will take you to the online offerings as long as you are in Switzerland when you visit and as long as you aren't using a VPN.

Casino Trust and Security

Trust is the most important element in choosing an online casino. You need to know the games are fair, that the operator is properly licensed, that it pays promptly and reliably, and that it abides by its terms and conditions at a minimum. One of the most important factors to consider is the operator license status. A "server license" from Panama might not be worth the digital canvas it is painted on. However, the rest of the picture runs the gamut from Curacao with AML/CFT and minor responsible gambling protections to the more robust jurisdictions of Malta, Gibraltar, or even Romania with full player protections.

The random number generator (RNG) should be tested and certified by an independent third-party testing and certification laboratory like eCOGRA or iTech Labs. Oftentimes simply clicking on the hot-linked license seal at the bottom of a casino web page will open new pathways such as to testing certificates or even return to player percentages (RTP) reports. Taken as a whole, along with encryption, data protection, and privacy policy, all of the above elements can be part of the trust-building process.

Banking information for Swiss players

Some of the ways you might deposit and withdraw at mycasino Luzerne online, for example, can be used to bank with an offshore casino cashier. Yapeal, TWINT, and Aplauz might not work but that still leaves you Visa/Mastercard, Paysafecard, Neteller, Skrill, and ApplePay or PayPal among many others. Cryptocurrencies might be the best bet, especially if you are already familiar with BTC and altcoins.

Written by: Michael Shackleford