Switzerland’s Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission (ESBK), the Federal Gaming Board, has approved granting the tenth online casino license in the country to Casino Locarno. This move has shown an expansion of the regulated iGaming market under Switzerland’s Federal Gambling Act (Geldspielgesetz), as the gaming board authorized both the platform and the games suite of Casino Locarno’s online
Switzerland’s Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission (ESBK), the Federal Gaming Board, has approved granting the tenth online casino license in the country to Casino Locarno.
This move has shown an expansion of the regulated iGaming market under Switzerland’s Federal Gambling Act (Geldspielgesetz), as the gaming board authorized both the platform and the games suite of Casino Locarno’s online CasiNeo.ch brand.
Swiss law requires land-based and online gambling operators to get federal authorization from the Bundesgesetz über Geldspiele (BGS), which is the Money Gaming Act of 2018. Under this framework, online casino licenses are limited only to existing land-based casinos that have received approval to offer iGaming services.
Since the Geldspielgesetz’s introduction, ten online casino licenses have been approved by the ESBK, as the regulator opened its latest licensing window in 2025, when Novomatic’s Admiral.ch brand entered the gambling market through a collaboration with Casino Mendrisio.
Talking about Casino Locarno, it was founded in 2002 and acquired by the Baden Group in 2022, which operates Casino Baden.
Despite the market expansion, the ESBK aims to focus on a reformed enforcement campaign in 2026, as it also orders operators to complete verification checks, such as age, canton residency, and tax domicile status. The regulator will also intensify its actions to target illegal operators in an effort to decrease concerns over offshore competition.