Swiss gamblers can choose from numerous online bookmakers featuring competitive odds and betting bonuses. More importantly, the best Switzerland betting sites have been in operation for decades and hold online gambling licenses in multiple European jurisdictions.
Switzerland online betting laws grant a duopoly to two government-backed operators, at least on paper. In reality, fans can bet online in Switzerland with a range of bookmakers that outperform the duopoly operators in every metric.
Continue below for the Switzerland sports betting sites we recommend first, ranked according to their reputations, odds, promotions, and mobile app software. In addition, this page will explain Switzerland online sports betting and gambling laws in simple but thorough terms.
Legal Switzerland Betting Sites
Switzerland sports betting fans can use online sportsbooks headquartered anywhere in the world legally, but the government only recognizes two lottery-backed operators as legitimate license holders.
As in many European nations, Switzerland prohibits unlicensed operators from offering their services in Switzerland but does not target individual bettors who use sportsbooks licensed in other countries. Instead, the government encourages bettors to use licensed Swiss betting sites to guarantee the safety of their funds.
However, many bettors use foreign betting sites because they offer significantly better odds and more wagering options. As long as fans use sportsbooks licensed in legitimate jurisdictions like the UK, they can bet online safely and legally. One thing about online sports betting Switzerland readers should keep in mind is the law does not prohibit individuals from using foreign bookmakers.
An extensive internet blocking campaign instituted by the government has reduced bettors’ options, but multiple reputable betting sites that accept Swiss customers remain open for business.
22Bet Switzerland
- Read more: 22Bet Review
OnlineBettingSites.com often recommends 22Bet in countries controlled by government-approved monopolies because it doesn’t shy away from restrictive jurisdictions, provides a massive wagering catalog, and offers better odds on average. That’s also the case in Switzerland, where 22Bet has operated for several years. In summary, 22Bet covers all the most important aspects to rank first among all sports betting sites Switzerland bettors can choose from.
22Bet is on the government’s online censorship blacklist, but it often launches new domains to stay one step ahead of local ISPs. Bettors can follow any link on this page to visit 22Bet to get started today.
Other Swiss Sports Betting Sites
22Bet is just one of many unlicensed Swiss gambling sites, but it is by far our top pick for sports betting. Otherwise, bettors who want to use licensed online sportsbooks exclusively must use one of the following betting sites:
- Jouez Sport by Loterie Romande: Only available in the French-speaking cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Geneva, and Jura.
- Sporttip by Swisslos: Available nationwide
Cantons may also regulate in-person pari-mutuel wagering locally, such as for bets placed at horse race tracks. However, federal law enforces strict limits on the amount of money that may be wagered or won.
Offshore gambling sites offered online sports betting to Swiss customers for years despite not having the authorization to do so, but that began to change in 2019 as the government rolled out its plan to block access to the websites of unlicensed providers. Many bigger-name companies pulled out of Switzerland in anticipation of partnering with local casinos sometime in the future to offer online gambling and sports betting.
Some offshore betting sites continue to offer their services to Swiss bettors, but the days of prominent providers doing so have mostly come to an end. An uptick in VPN use in Switzerland recently indicates that many fans are willing to evade internet blocking measures because there is no law to punish individual users who visit unlicensed betting sites.
Switzerland Online Sports Betting Laws
Switzerland introduced sweeping new gambling and sports betting regulations in 2019 via the Money Gaming Act (MGA) after nearly 73% of voters approved it the previous year. The MGA instituted legal requirements for Swiss betting sites, online casinos, land-based casinos, and more.
The law included most of the proposals lawmakers had suggested in previous years. Two of the primary changes the Money Gaming Act brought to the Switzerland online betting industry were to authorize land-based casinos to apply for licenses to operate gambling websites and for the lottery to offer online sports betting.
The MGA partially opened the Switzerland online gambling market to private competition, but two national lottery operators retain a duopoly over legal online sports betting.
The MGA requires online lotteries, sports betting operators, and skill game sites to apply for licenses from the Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa). Meanwhile, the Federal Casino Commission (ESBK) regulates online casinos and poker sites in Switzerland.
Regulators have only issued two online sports betting licenses to date, one each to Loterie Romande and Swisslos.
The law also allows regulators to ask local internet service providers to block access to unlicensed online casinos and sports betting sites in Switzerland. The Commission Fédérale des Maisons de Jeux (CFMJ, roughly “Federal Gambling Houses Board”) maintains a list of blocked gambling sites on its website here.
Some Swiss citizens continue to express concern over giving the government censorship power over the internet, but the CFMJ rationalizes the necessity of protecting regulated bookmakers. However, a court ruling in 2022 reaffirmed the government’s authority to block access to unlicensed Swiss betting sites.
Switzerland Online Horse Racing Betting
Legal pari-mutuel horse racing wagering is only available in Switzerland at authorized race tracks. Loterie Romande and Swisslos have the exclusive right to offer in-person horse racing betting in Switzerland through a partnership with France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU).
Licensed Swiss betting sites do not offer pari-mutuel wagering, leaving foreign operators as the only option for fans to bet on horse racing online in Switzerland.
The best horse racing betting sites in Switzerland are prominent operators licensed in other countries. In this case, OnlineBettingSites.com recommends 22Bet.com. Customers can visit 22Bet online to bet on horse races hosted in Switzerland and worldwide.
Switzerland Online Casinos
Swiss law grants land-based casinos the exclusive right to apply for licenses to offer online gambling. Twenty-one land-based casinos operate in Switzerland today, but only ten have applied for online gambling licenses.
Foreign operators that don’t operate land-based casinos in Switzerland may not apply for licenses and are subject to internet and financial blocking measures if they accept Swiss customers.
Despite the restrictions, numerous online casinos licensed in other countries offer their services to Swiss players. Swiss casino sites headquartered elsewhere may be illegal according to the MGA, but they comply with all applicable laws in their home countries.
However, foreign gambling sites may partner with domestic casino operators to offer online gambling in Switzerland if regulators approve the partnership.
Is it Legal to Bet Online in Switzerland?
To the credit of Swiss officials, they always seemed to understand that the situation previously made no sense. If people will bet online anyway, the state might as well legalize, regulate, and tax it. News sources have been reporting on legalization rumors since 2013, but it wasn’t until 2015 that lawmakers formally introduced a bill.
Swiss newspaper 20min.ch reported on the development in an article published online in October 2015. The proposal would authorize all land-based casinos to offer online gambling in Switzerland. In addition, the law would change the tax code so that all licensed Switzerland betting sites would pay winnings tax-free.
Previously, lottery and sports betting wins were taxed, while winnings derived from casino games were exempt. The proposal eventually became the Money Gaming Act and, while it exempts sports and lottery winnings under CHF 1 million, it still imposes taxes on winnings greater than that amount.
The one problem with the proposal was the timeline it set. Even though the law dates back to 2015, it wouldn’t be until 2019 for the first local casinos to even begin applying for Swiss online gambling licenses. The Swiss Federation of Casinos objected to the extended timeline, calling it “far too late.”
Nevertheless, lawmakers proceeded with the Act and passed it into law. A referendum to block the act failed, and it finally took effect nearly four years later.
The new law also loosened Switzerland’s restrictions on private poker games. Previously, the law prohibited all real money poker games organized outside of licensed casinos. The new law allows private home poker games as long as the stakes are “low” and organizers apply to local canton authorities for approval.
Betting Deposits in Swiss Francs
Switzerland online sports betting laws allow customers to fund their accounts via various electronic and cash-based means. Large Switzerland betting sites accept all the most common payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, Neteller, Skrill, instant bank transfers, bank wires, and paper cheques in the mail.
Withdrawals are typically paid back through the same method used to deposit. So, if you make a CHF betting deposit with Neteller, your betting site will issue any winnings back to your Neteller account. Most online sportsbooks support the Swiss franc currency, but some foreign betting sites convert customers’ deposits into USD, EUR, or GBP.
Credit and debit cards are the two fastest options for anyone wanting to get online and begin placing bets immediately. However, you may find an e-wallet such as Neteller or Skrill more useful if you tend to switch between multiple Swiss betting sites. You can set up your e-wallet account in Euros to avoid the majority of foreign exchange fees as you move from one Swiss gambling site to the next.
Switzerland Sports Betting FAQ
Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher, and analyst in the legal online betting industry and is co-founder of OnlineBettingSites.com. Wes approaches his work from the viewpoint of players.