Casino Lugano And Casino du Lac Acquired Swiss iGaming Licenses

Switzerland’s online casino market will soon be richer for two new gaming platforms. The Swiss Federal Council (Bundesrat) announced on Wednesday that Casino Lugano and the Casino du Lac Meyrin in Geneva have been granted the right to add online casino gambling to their product mix.

Still, this is only putting brands at the starting line; they are required to gain the approval of the Federal Casino Commission before they can launch. The license must be ratified by the Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission (ESBK), the country’s federal gambling regulator after each can begin operating.

About the Casinos

These operators are the first outside the country’s German-speaking cantons to have been granted online approval. They are also the sixth and seventh online platforms granted entry into the Swiss gaming market.

Casino du Lac is run by French operator Groupe Partouche, which struck a Swiss deal with live casino specialists Evolution Gaming in January. Just last week, the brand has signed a game content deal with iSoftBet.

Casino Lugano is tly owned by Casinos Austria International – now part of the Sazka Group – which holds a 29% stake in the business, and by the municipality of Lugano, who is a holder of 67% stake. Remaining 4% is owned by the private shareholders.

While it has not announced an iGaming partner…

… another CAI venue, Casino Interlaken, struck a deal with Greentube to roll out the StarVegas.ch site in March this year. Interlaken had its license approved by the ESBK in February this year, ing Grand Casino Baden, Casino Davos, Grand Casino Luzern and Casino Zürichsee in launching.

The group also runs the Grand Casino Kursaal Bern who was also cleared for a license in November, but is yet to confirm final approval by the regulator.

One of the Strictest Online Gambling Markets

Switzerland’s authorities have ed The Gaming Act that regulates online gambling in this country, that was implemented on January 1st, 2019.

Under the act, only the existing land-based casinos were allowed to launch online gaming operations.

While the decree caused much controversy and a fiery public debate…

… the decision to ban foreign operators from ing the Switzerland market wasn’t overruled. The regulators have started to block unlicensed sites from the July 1st when Swiss iGaming market was fully established.

To be granted an iGaming license, the Swiss land-based casino needs to submit a request for extension of concession and to establish the commercial viability of its service. Established casino operators then undergo software certification by the Federal Gaming Commission (ESBK) before their online licenses are green-lighted.

On the other hand…

… operators’ software suppliers are not required to possess licenses but can provide services only to licensed operators.

While some casinos like Grand Casino Kursaal Bern have been waiting for their licenses a long time, others like Casino Baiden gained them easily. Casino du Lac and Casino Lugano are the sixth and seventh venues to receive the licenses by Bundesrat, but there’s no telling when will they be able to begin their online operation since they are still waiting for the ESBK approval.

Source:

“Lugano and Meyrin casinos granted Swiss igaming licences”, igamingbusiness.com, April 30, 2020.