Swiss Casino and Card Room Gaming

The Swiss casino market is open to competition. There are both local and international operators in the country. Companies such as Casinos Austria, Lucien Barrière, Groupe Trachant and Groupe Partouche have casinos in Switzerland.

Switzerland revamped its casino legislation in the year 2000. Casino licenses are divided into two groups: type A (large casinos without betting limits) and type B (casinos with stake limits, a maximum of 150 slot machines and three types of table games). In 2004, the Swiss government loosened the restrictions on type B casino prizes and payouts to help spark growth in the waning type B casino industry. The new law allowed for stakes to be raised from 5 to 25 Swiss francs and jackpots from 5,000 to 25,000 francs.

Poker was declared a game of skill by the Swiss Gaming Board, which resulted in a large number of poker games outside casinos. The Swiss Casino Association appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court. In June 2010, the Swiss Supreme Court declared poker a game of chance and relegated it to casinos only.

For the new concession period 2025–2044, the Federal Council has divided Switzerland into 23 casino zones, with a maximum of 23 licenses (ten type A and thirteen type B), and on 29 November 2023 it awarded 22 concessions (ten type A and twelve type B) following an open application process. The guidelines provide that a type A license should only be granted where projected land-based GGR exceeds CHF 30 million and a catchment population of around 300,000 within a 30-minute drive exists, while type B casinos generally target at least CHF 10 million GGR and a population of 100,000, with flexibility for high-tourism locations.