Betting Sites in Switzerlandbetting sites in switzerland

Switzerland is one of those countries famed for its jaw-dropping landscapes, premium chocolates, and quality watches. When looking at things from the perspective of sports, Switzerland has given the world-famous names such as Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer, Granit Xhaka, and Xherdan Shaqiri, among others. Add some of the globe’s highest wages to the mix, and what you get is the perfect environment ideal for online sports betting.

Betting sites across Switzerland enjoyed a very relaxing and ideal treatment from the authorities across the country until very recently, when a referendum was held to decide the future of online sports betting across the country. The Swiss Federal Board handles every aspect that’s related to betting and gambling in Switzerland.

The result of the referendum favored the Federal Law On Money Games and officially came into force on January 1, 2019. The provisions of the law saw the blocking of non-licensed betting sites. While this law empowered local betting sites, a majority of Swiss bettors still prefer to place their bets using foreign bookmakers based on their odds, rich betting markets, and a great variety of sports.

Top 3 Online Bookmakers in Swiss

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2 100% up to 200€ Betwinner Review Visit
3 Claim your bet365 Bet365 Review Visit

5 Things to Know Before Betting in Switzerland

Before you can engage in sports betting in Switzerland, there are a few important things that you need to be aware of to make your betting experience worthwhile. While there are a couple of them, the following are the five most essential things to keep at the back of your mind before you can bet:

  • 18 years is the legal age of gambling in Switzerland
  • Swiss bettors that get to place their bets on international bookies don’t pay any fines
  • Most foreign sportsbooks in Switzerland do accept CHF and their sites in French, German, and Italian
  • The entire gambling winnings that are below CHF 1,000 are exempted from taxes
  • In 2023, a new gambling agreement will come into force

Best betting sites across Switzerland

We always keep a close eye on some of the best Swiss betting sites that you can register and play at. In order to choose the best in the market, we did compare their betting markets, payout processing times, odds, and whether they accept payments in Swiss Francs.

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1 100% up to 150€ Rabona Review Visit
2 100% up to 200€ Betwinner Review Visit
3 Claim your bet365 Bet365 Review Visit
4 100% up to 1500€ Bettilt Review Visit
5 100% up to 150€ CampoBet Review Visit
6 50% up to 100€ Betrebels Review Visit
7 No Bonus Pinnacle Review Visit
8 100% up to 500€ Cbet Review Visit
9 100% up to 100€ Bet at home Review Visit
10 100% up to 100€ Librabet Review Visit
11 100% up to 100€ BonkersBet Review Visit
12 100% up to 120€ Reloadbet Review Visit
13 100% up to 100€ 22Bet Review Visit
14 100% up to 1.000$ + 200 Free Spins Casino Joy Review Visit
15 100% up to 5.000€ Wild Casino Review Visit
16 100% up to 250$ + 25 Free Bet Ditobet Review Visit
17 100% up to a 100€ Betmaster Review Visit
18 50% up to 1.000€ SportsBetting.ag Review Visit
19 50% up to 50€ Cyber Bet Review Visit
20 150% up to 150€ Dafabet Review Visit
21 100% up to 110€ Betandyou Review Visit
22 100% up to 100€ Mr. Play Review Visit
23 100% up to a 120€ LSbet Review Visit
24 10% up to 100€ Yonibet Review Visit
25 100% up to 50€ Betworld Review Visit
26 100% up to 100€ 24Bettle Review Visit
27 100% up to 100€ FezBet Review Visit
28 100% up to 100€ Gransino Review Visit
29 100% up to 200€ Rolletto Review Visit
30 50% up to 1.000€ BetOnline.Ag Review Visit
31 100% up to 100€ DoubleBet Review Visit
32 100% up to 100€ Sportempire Review Visit
33 100% up to 50€ ZigZag Sports Review Visit
34 100% up to a 100€ Casinia Review Visit
35 Does not offer bonuses Betstars Review Visit
36 100% up to 10€ Hopa Review Visit
37 Does not offer Bonuses TigerGaming Review Visit
38 100% up to a 100€ Tornadobet Review Visit
39 100% up to 200€ Intertops Review Visit
40 100% up to 150€ MalinaCasino Review Visit
41 100% up to 1.000€ Fortune Clock Review Visit

The Legal Framework Governing Online Betting in Switzerland

Until now, there’s no law that forbids Swiss citizens from placing bets with international bookies. However, the Swiss government continuously makes an effort to make such somewhat complicated. In July 2019, the Swiss Gambling Act came into full effect.

In September the same year, it became impossible for the Swiss internet users to access several foreign bookies using DNS from the country’s internet providers.

Swiss gambling act of 2019 also states that lotteries that are held within the borders of Switzerland will be exempted from taxes. This wasn’t the case before. Still, under the new law, small tournaments of poker could be arranged in private. However, there’s still a need for one to obtain a permit, especially if a Swiss citizen wanted to arrange such an event.

Gambling addiction aside, the aim of the government of Switzerland is to ensure that the huge amount of funds that players lose to international bookies remain within the country. One of the most alterations of the law is all about introducing higher caps on taxable winnings in addition to using net winnings realized from sports betting on charitable causes.

Based on the latest provisions of the Gaming Law, the Swiss government did order for the blocking of third-party attempts on marketing in addition to betting sites that don’t possess a Swiss betting license. On July 1, 2019, the government began blocking access to unlicensed bookies. Additionally, the Intercantonal Lottery and Betting Board published a list of blacklisted betting sites.

The betting environment across Switzerland

In Switzerland, sports betting is split between land-based or brick-and-mortar betting and online sites provided by two local state-backed operators (Loterie Romande and Swissloss). They operate under the brands of Jouez Sport and Sporttip.

In Switzerland, online and land state monopolies exist, though, a few bettors opt for Loterie Romande or Swisslos to place their bets. Legally, though, placing bets on international betting sites is considered to be illegal. Fortunately, though, there’s no action taken against players that place bets on international betting sites across the country. Additionally, banks and other financial institutions aren’t required to access these bookies or restrict financial transactions.

Important information necessary for Swiss players

As noted earlier, Swiss players that get to place their bets on international bookies don’t risk any criminal sanctions, according to Comlot, the Swiss sports betting regulator. All winnings from gambling that exceed CHF 1,000 are taxable across all 26 cantons in Switzerland.

Such taxes get automatically deducted from a player’s total winnings that can be reclaimed from their tax returns. Of importance to note is that winnings from gambling that a player earns online aren’t mainly declared by Swiss bettors since they are considered tax-free.

Swiss Bookies that Accept Franc (CHF)

Notable international bookies such as Bet-at-home, Betworld, and Betrebels are some of the best bookies that accept deposits in Swiss Francs. Therefore, players willing to avoid making foreign currency exchange payments on betting sites that do not accept Swiss Franc have to choose one of the following three selections:

Betworld Suisse

This is an Austrian bookie that has managed to do away with IP-blocking to operate across the Swiss market. This bookie offers its customers the most attractive welcome bonus around, more than 30 sports, and a website fully translated into French, Italian, and German.

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Bet-at-home Suisse

This is another top international bookie where Swiss bettors stand a chance of using their local currencies to make deposits and withdrawals. Besides that, this bookie provides its players with a huge range of betting markets across the country’s Super League. That’s not all about this betting site. It’s also an Italian and a German translated website consisting of an attractive first deposit bonus and more than 43 sports for players to choose from.

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Betrebels

This bookie is also one of the most reliable betting sites when it comes to online sports betting across Switzerland. This bookie constitutes excellent features in addition to a German interface that’s ideal for Swiss bettors. Betrebels also has huge betting markets both on the Challenge League and the Swiss Super League. Here, players can bet on more than 32 sports on offer.

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Bet365 Switzerland and other bookies that closed business in Switzerland

There was a time when Swiss gambling legislation saw some bookies, Bet365 included closing for business. Critical changes saw no international bookie receiving a local license, a reason that saw reputable betting sites such as Bet365 exiting the market. The following was witnessed:

Bet365 Switzerland was one of the first bookmakers that were blacklisted by Comlot on September 3, 2019. Such an event also saw Bet365 Suisse shutting its operations, exit the Swiss market, and stop accepting local players.

William Hill also had to cease its operations from June 30, 2019, as a result of tough regulations. This move compelled its marketing partners to stop all the marketing campaigns that targeted Swiss punters and also remove its marketing content from their websites.

The axe also fell on Betfair Switzerland. This bookie also had no choice but to cease its operations by June 28, 2019, both as an exchange and as a betting site. All this took place based on a strict licensing system that wouldn’t allow Betfair Suisse and other international bookmakers to undertake its operations in the country legally.

Deposits and Charges across Swiss Betting Sites

Betting authorities across Switzerland don’t apply certain measures that impact the baking sector across the country in addition to its association with international bookies. Additionally, banks in Switzerland don’t block card payments and transfers to those sites. For Swiss players willing to fund their betting accounts, debit and credit cards are the perfect way to do so. However, it is important to note that when using credit cards to fund a betting account for international services across online gambling sites, then you will definitely incur some foreign fees. These foreign fees do range between 1.2% and 2.5%, depending on the type of credit card used.

Fortunately, there are several other alternatives that players can use when funding their betting sites across Switzerland. Some of the most convenient ones that players can use include Paysafecard, Neteller, and Skrill. Others include bank transfers through Sofort.

Future trends of online gambling in Switzerland

Looking across Switzerland’s online betting environment, one is left with the impression that it’s evolving at unprecedented speeds. A big contributor to this is the introduction of a new Gambling Agreement that’s currently awaiting some ratifications by the cantons.

The agreement came into force last month on July 1, 2023, a move aimed at establishing a new regulatory body known as the Intercantonal Gambling Authority that will replace Comlot. It’s not known yet, but there are hopes that the new authority will put into consideration the ideal licensing system that will bring state monopoly to an end.

Top Swiss Bookies for 2023

While there are several bookies that currently do business in Switzerland due to relaxed laws, not all of them make it to the list of top bookmakers across the country. Not all of them are reliable, trustworthy, and secure websites. However, in the list below, we have some of the best betting sites that suits you:

  • 22BET – this bookie has got more than 1,000 live events daily, a 95% payout on top leagues, and a cashout option.
  • BETWINNER – here, players can find more than 1000 pre-match events, horse racing, and 98%+ on tennis.
  • Betmaster – Betmaster has got Asian Handicaps, up to 100+ extra markets, and an easy-to-use mobile/desktop site.
  • Melbet – this bookie has got more than 200 live events daily, more than 160 alternative in-play bets, and a 95% payout on live betting.
  • Bonkersbet – at Bonkersbet, players are assured of 300 football markets, Asian handicaps, and more than 45 other sporting events.
  • Librabet – here, there are high odds on football, a huge variety of betting markets, and attractive welcome packages.
  • FEZbet – there’s the option of cashout here, fast markets, and next minute bets.
  • CampoBet – here, there are more than 35 sports, more than 140 extra bets, and 10,000 pre-match events per month to bet on.
  • Bet365 – Interwetten has got more than 45,000 pre-match events per month, a cashout option, and a 95% payout on top leagues.
  • 10Bet – at FortuneJack, players can bet in anonymity, in addition to placing bets with the assurance of player security. Also, there’s the cashout and partial cash-out option.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, you can check to find some of the most frequently asked questions pertaining to betting sites across Switzerland. We constantly update this section based on recent legislation changes and make a good attempt to answer all questions that players send to us via live chat or email.

  • Is it possible to access 1XBet from Switzerland?
    Among others, 1XBet Suisse is one of the most popular international bookies. Unfortunately, it's not accessible from Switzerland, meaning that it doesn't accept Swiss bettors as of now.
  • Are Swiss players accepted at Unibet?
    Unfortunately, no. Swiss players aren't accepted here as this is one of those bookies that ceased operations in Switzerland following tough regulations and legislative amendments.
  • Is Bwin accessible to players from Switzerland?
    The answer to this question is a resounding no. In fact, Bwin Suisse is one of those bookies that closed operations in the Swiss market, especially following the introduction of the New Money Gaming Act.
  • And does 10Bet operate across the Swiss market?
    Unfortunately, 10Bet hasn't been operating in Switzerland since June 27, 2019. Again, all this is due to the Swiss regulatory requirements that saw the company automatically ceasing its operators across Switzerland.
  • Is there a place where I can find the blacklisted domains?
    The entire blacklisted domains get published on Comlot's website. Suppose you want to see the blacklisted ones. Then you may have to log to https://blacklist.comlot.ch/comlot_blacklist_20191008.pdf.