Report Suggests Swiss Market Ripe for Online Gambling

Posted: January 6, 2010

Updated: October 4, 2017

A press release published yesterday reveals details about a recent report compiled by consulting firm MECN and the Swiss law firm MME Partners which takes an in-depth look into the potentials of internet gambling in Switzerland.

A press release published yesterday reveals details about a recent report compiled by consulting firm MECN and the Swiss law firm MME Partners which takes an in-depth look into the potentials of internet gambling in Switzerland. It seems that the Swiss government is in the process of liberalizing the country’s online gambling laws. The report emphasizes several points that make Switzerland a potential hotspot for online gambling, and suggests that the country is one to keep an eye on as the situation develops.

The biggest issue discussed by the report, and the thing that sets Switzerland apart from the rest of Europe, is the fact that the country is not part of the EU. This means that they are not experiencing any pressure from the EU to open up their online gambling market to foreign operators, and yet they are planning to do just that. The pressure instead comes from major international online gambling firms that are interested in catering to Swiss players. While EU countries like France, Denmark, and Italy struggle to revise their existing online gambling laws to comply with EU regulations, Swiss gambling laws are free to take whatever form best suits the country’s needs.

“The Swiss liberalization plans show how the pressure of foreign online offers on state operators and income forces some states to rethink the existing regulations,” the report says. If all goes as planned and Switzerland opens its doors to offshore internet casino operators, the country stands in a strong position to be a role model for non-EU markets like the United States. The US and Swiss gambling markets are currently structured, the report says, and because both are free to draft their own online gambling legislation without pressure from third parties, they would do well to work together over the coming years.

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