VOTO reports are compiled after each referendum that takes place in the country. The project was started in September 2016. It is patronized by the Swiss Federal Council and is carried out by the FORS Research Center, the Center for Democracy in Aarau, and the LINK survey institute.
Swiss nationals approved in a referendum held last month the proposed prohibition of online gambling services that are provided by unauthorized offshore companies. Such companies have exploited loopholes in the country’s existing gambling laws for years to target local gamblers.
The new Swiss Money Gaming Act was approved by the Federal Council, known to be the country’s supreme legislature, last fall. Under the law, due to take effect January 1, 2019, only the country’s land-based casino operators will be able to offer online gambling services, while the domains of unauthorized foreign companies will be blocked by local Internet Service Providers.
The youth organizations of several parties launched a signature-gathering initiative to call a referendum and hopefully overturn the proposed ban, arguing that it violated principles for the free movement of services.
Last month, 72.9% of all voters who cast their votes in the referendum approved the proposed ban. The recently published VOTO study showed that the majority of voters from all generations voted in favor of the new Money Gaming Act.
According to the report, 74% of voters aged between 18-29 cast a vote in support of the offshore online gambling ban. Around 77% of those aged over 60 also approved the proposal. The 30-39 age group supported the law by a 61% majority. The VOTO study further points out that voters were clearly not influenced by the lobbyism against the ban from the youth branches of major political parties.
Five Years of Good Reputation
While the new law aims to keep online international online gambling operators away from the local market, foreign suppliers of gaming products and services will be allowed to partner with land-based casinos to provide such products to Swiss customers.
However, according to recent reports from local media, foreign suppliers might struggle to step into the re-regulated Swiss market as the Federal Council is believed to be discussing a provision that would require such companies to have maintained ‘good reputation’ for a period of five years prior to their partnership with any of the country’s brick-and-mortar casinos.
Good reputation here means that international providers should prove that they have not served Swiss customers for the past five years. It is believed that a number of the big names in the industry would not be able to meet that requirement.
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