Switzerland adds 271 domains to offshore gambling blacklist as blocked total nears 3,000
Switzerland has added 271 new domains to its offshore gambling blacklist, taking the total to 2,944 as regulators intensify enforcement under the Federal Act on Money Games and extend blocking to affiliate sites that direct Swiss users to unlicensed operators.
• Switzerland has added 271 new domains to its official blacklist of unauthorised online gambling sites.
• The blocked total now stands at 2,944 domains as of February 2026 under enforcement of the Federal Act on Money Games.
• Regulators said the update covers offshore casino and sportsbook sites as well as affiliate domains that route Swiss users to unlicensed operators.
• Enforcement is carried out through mandatory internet service provider blocking, primarily using DNS blocking with redirection to an official notice page.
• Two regulators drive the process, with ESBK overseeing casinos and Gespa overseeing lotteries and sports betting within Switzerland’s controlled market model.
Switzerland has expanded its enforcement action against unauthorised online gambling by adding 271 domains to its official blacklist, taking the total number of blocked domains to 2,944 as of February 2026.
Regulators said the move forms part of ongoing supervision under the Federal Act on Money Games, the law that governs gambling in Switzerland and limits the provision of services to locally licensed operators. Under the framework, only licensed Swiss operators may legally offer gambling services to residents. Land-based Swiss casinos can apply for an online licence to provide digital slot machines and table games, while foreign operators are not authorised to accept wagers from Swiss citizens.
The structure of the market differs by vertical. Lottery products and sports betting are operated through public monopoly models. Swisslos covers German and Italian speaking regions, while Loterie Romande operates in French speaking cantons, with each responsible for lottery and sports betting activity within its territory. Authorities have repeatedly framed this structure as a way to ensure gambling revenues support public interest projects and that consumer protection and anti money laundering obligations are upheld.
Enforcement against illegal sites is shared between two bodies. The Swiss Federal Gaming Board, known as ESBK, supervises casinos, while Gespa monitors lotteries and sports betting. Both regulators identify unauthorised domains that target Swiss players and add them to the blacklist.
The latest update extends beyond direct operator domains. Regulators said several affiliate sites were directing Swiss users to unlicensed offshore operators, and those affiliate domains were included in the same enforcement round. The figures highlight a continued pace of monitoring, with the blacklist reported at around 2,673 domains by November 2025 before the additional 271 entries lifted the total to 2,944.
Swiss authorities require internet service providers to enforce the blacklist through access restrictions, with DNS blocking cited as the primary mechanism. When a user attempts to reach a blacklisted address, the provider intercepts the request and redirects the user to an official government notice page stating the site is not authorised to operate in Switzerland. Regulators acknowledge that some users attempt to bypass restrictions using virtual private networks, but DNS blocking remains the core enforcement tool and its legality has been upheld by Switzerland’s highest court under national law.
With the blacklist nearing 3,000 domains, regulators are reinforcing Switzerland’s controlled market approach and signalling that both offshore operators and supporting affiliate infrastructure will remain in scope where they are found to be targeting Swiss consumers.
Switzerland’s blacklist numbers are a useful indicator of how aggressively a controlled market will pursue channelisation through enforcement rather than liberalisation. By continuously updating the list and compelling internet service providers to block access, authorities are making it operationally harder for offshore operators to rely on casual discovery traffic, particularly from users who are not actively seeking ways to circumvent restrictions.
The inclusion of affiliate domains is the more strategic element here. Blocking operators alone often becomes a game of domain rotation, but affiliates sit at the top of the funnel and can be a stable source of acquisition for unlicensed brands. Pulling affiliates into the enforcement net reduces visibility, disrupts user journeys, and raises the risk profile for third parties that monetise referrals into the Swiss market.
DNS blocking is not perfect, but it is a scalable tool that can be refreshed quickly and defended as proportionate when paired with clear legal foundations. The real question for the industry is whether enforcement alone can keep pace with increasingly distributed acquisition methods, including social channels and messaging apps. Switzerland is clearly betting that consistent friction, combined with a tightly regulated domestic offer, is sufficient to protect consumers and sustain public interest funding.
Sources
- Swiss Federal Gaming Board (ESBK)
- Gespa — Swiss Lottery and Betting Authority
Why This Matters
iGaming Times analysis: Switzerland's blocked-domain count approaching 3,000 is meaningful as a baseline-establishment exercise rather than as a fresh signal of offshore demand. The more interesting metric over the next 12 months is duplicate-resurfacing rate — how often blocked domains appear on alternate URLs against the same operator backend. A high duplication rate would indicate the blocking framework is reactive cosmetics; a low rate indicates real channel suppression.
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