Benno Schneider, president of the Swiss Gaming Board, has called for a lifting of the ban on online gaming for national operators in order to test and monitor their quality, and to test the viability of generating revenues from taxes on domestic providers.

Speaking to the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Schneider said that he felt that it would be beneficial to see how a lifting of the prohibition would work.

“We should investigate whether Switzerland can grant concessions for internet casinos to national providers, under strict regulations, and if foreign providers can be prohibited from offering online casino services. The advantage of this solution would be that the quality of providers can be monitored. In addition, revenues generated from Swiss online gaming could be taxed.”

When asked how they intended to stop foreign online gaming providers, he said that the best option would be to follow the US model and prevent financial institutions from processing payments to them.

He acknowledged that implementing these measures would not be simple and the cost and effort involved in managing such a project would be „substantial“. He added that if the prohibition on online gaming is lifted, anybody applying for a licence would be asked to meet the same requirements as those currently imposed on land-based casinos in Switzerland, particularly with regard to anti money-laundering safeguards and problem gambling prevention.

Schneider said that the Swiss Gaming Board, Eidgenössischen Spielbankenkommission (ESBK), intends to submit a report to the Swiss Federal Council regarding internet prohibition by the end of this year.