What is the Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission License?
The Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission license (ESBK license) is the official gambling permit issued by the government of Switzerland. The Eidgenössische Spielbankenkommission literally means “Swiss Federal Gaming Board” in German, one of the four national languages of Switzerland.
While gambling has been legal in Switzerland since the 1990s, the ESBK did not regulate online casinos until September 2017, when lawmakers passed an updated Gaming Act. The government also passed a series of gaming ordinances, casino rules, and anti-money laundering laws in 2018. Online gambling officially became legal in the country in 2019.
Today, these laws still make up the framework of legal land-based and online gambling in Switzerland. Under these laws, the ESBK works to regulate casinos alongside Gespa (the Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority) and the Eidgenössische Justiz- und Polizeidepartement (the Federal Department of Justice and Police).
All casinos in Switzerland must have an ESBK license and must follow the regulator’s advertising, anti-money laundering, and reporting rules to operate legally in the country.