Switzerland to issue two more casino licences

Currently, there are 21 casino licensees in Switzerland, each representing a different region of the country. However, the Swiss Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) submitted a report and recommendations to update this system to the Federal Council.

This included adding two new regions – Lausanne and Winterthur. The existing 21 casinos will all be preserved in the new map.

Both of the new casinos will be granted Class A licences, which have no limitation on stakes, bringing the number of Class A licences to 10. The other 13 operators hold Class B licences, which means that players cannot stake more than CHF25 (£20.57/€24.44/$25.81) on slot machines.

A Class A licence is granted to casinos that are expected to bring in revenue of more than CHF30m annually.

A tender process for applications for the new licences will begin in May, with the winning licensees to be selected in the autumn.

As well as land-based operations, Swiss casino licensees are permitted to offer online gaming, through partnerships with online operators.