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ESBK-licensed
Grand Casino Kursaal Bern
Editorial rating · As of June 2026 · ESBK-licensed operators only. No bonus amounts without reviewing each operator's terms and conditions.
In Switzerland, online casino games may only be offered by Swiss casinos that hold both a concession and an ESBK licence. There are currently around twelve licensed online casinos, all of which are tied to an existing Grand Casino gaming establishment. The overview below shows a selection of them; the full, always up-to-date list is maintained by the Swiss Federal Gaming Board on esbk.admin.ch.
| Casino | Operator / Location | ESBK licence | Currency | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7melons.ch | Grand Casino Kursaal Bern | ✓ | CHF | Bern operator, over 2'800 games |
| Swiss Casinos | Swiss Casinos Group | ✓ | CHF | Well-known Swiss brand, live casino |
| Jackpots.ch | Grand Casino Baden | ✓ | CHF | Wide range of slots, live casino |
| mycasino.ch | Grand Casino Luzern | ✓ | CHF | Live casino, mobile app |
| Casino777.ch | Casino Davos | ✓ | CHF | Slots, table games, live casino |
| Swiss4Win | Swiss casino | ✓ | CHF | Licensed online offering |
A selection from around 12 licensed operators in total. The official ESBK list (esbk.admin.ch) is always authoritative. As of June 2026.
Yes – online casino games are legal in Bern and across Switzerland, but only under clearly defined conditions. The key piece of legislation is the Federal Act on Gambling (BGS), colloquially known as the «Geldspielgesetz», which has been in force since 1 January 2019. It governs all forms of gambling in Switzerland and creates the legal basis for Swiss casinos to offer their games online as well.
Online casino games are only legal when they are operated by a Swiss casino holding a concession plus an additional licence from the Swiss Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) to run online games. The ESBK (reachable via esbk.admin.ch) is the competent supervisory and regulatory authority. The concessions currently in force were granted for the period from 1 January 2025 until the end of 2044. An online licence is therefore the mandatory prerequisite for a legal offering – without it, no casino may host online gambling in Switzerland.
Operators without a Swiss concession – usually foreign casinos – are not legal in this country. Since 1 July 2019, such non-licensed sites have been blocked by means of network blocking: Swiss internet providers restrict access via DNS and IP blocks, and the ESBK maintains a continuously updated blocking list for this purpose. So if you come across a blocked site, you are dealing with an unauthorised offering.
A legal Swiss online casino can be identified reliably: every licensed operator must display its ESBK concession number in the footer of the website. If this information is missing, or a foreign licence (for example from Malta or Curaçao) is advertised instead, it is not a casino authorised in Switzerland. As an aside: the GESPA authority (the intercantonal supervisory body) is responsible for lotteries and sports betting, not for online casino games – these fall exclusively within the remit of the ESBK.
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Legal online gambling in the federal city – with a local operator from the Kursaal
With the Grand Casino Kursaal Bern, Bern is home to one of the most tradition-rich casinos in Switzerland. Grand Casino Kursaal Bern AG was founded in 2000 and operates a casino at the Kursaal under an A concession. This is particularly relevant for players in the federal city, because the Bern operator is also active online: through the 7melons.ch brand, the Grand Casino Kursaal Bern has offered a fully ESBK-licensed online casino since September 2020 – making it the local Bern operator among the legal Swiss online casinos.
The online concession was granted to the Bern establishment by the Federal Council, together with Casino Interlaken. 7melons.ch today features over 2'800 games – from slots and classic table games to a live casino with real croupiers. Play is generally in Swiss francs (CHF), and for deposits and withdrawals typical Swiss payment methods such as TWINT and PostFinance, as well as common credit and debit cards, are available.
Another practical advantage of a Swiss operator for Bern: customer service is multilingual and covers the most important national languages with German, French and Italian. Anyone who wants to play online legally in Bern is on the safe side with an ESBK-licensed operator such as 7melons.ch or one of the other authorised Swiss online casinos – legally, technically and in terms of player protection.
Find the best online casinos for your preferred payment method. Fast, secure transactions for players in Bern.
At licensed Swiss online casinos, domestic payment methods are the main focus. The most popular is TWINT, the mobile payment app widely used across Switzerland, which lets you make deposits directly from your smartphone. Also common are PostFinance, classic credit and debit cards (Maestro, Visa, Mastercard) and the standard bank transfer. All transactions run in Swiss francs (CHF), which saves on conversion fees. To be honest: contrary to what the overview below might suggest, licensed Swiss online casinos generally do not offer cryptocurrencies – crypto payments are typically reserved for non-licensed foreign sites and are therefore not a feature of a legal Swiss operator.
Fast mobile payments
Secure iPhone payments
Android payments
Popular e-wallet
Swiss francs
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency
Prepaid card
Instant bank transfer
Flexible payments
Online bank transfer
Swiss cheques
Samsung devices
Smartwatch payment
Fitness watch
Fitness tracker
Fast crypto
Not every casino you can find online is reputable or authorised in Switzerland. A few clear criteria help you separate the wheat from the chaff – the most important of them is the ESBK concession.
When in doubt, the rule is: first check whether the ESBK concession number is present, and compare the operator against the official list on esbk.admin.ch. A reputable casino makes no secret of its authorisation, communicates bonus terms clearly and actively provides tools for responsible gambling. Anyone who pays attention to these points considerably reduces the risk of ending up with a dubious operator – or one that is even blocked in Switzerland.
For many, bonuses are part of the online casino experience, but they are rarely as straightforward as they appear at first glance. The key is to know the common types of bonus and to understand the conditions before accepting an offer.
The welcome bonus is the classic offer for new players. It usually doubles the first deposit up to a certain maximum amount. Free spins entitle you to a number of free spins on selected slots; winnings from them are generally subject to conditions as well. A no-deposit bonus is credited without any deposit of your own – it is usually small and tied to particularly strict requirements.
The most important term is the wagering requirements. A figure like «35x» means that the bonus amount must be wagered 35 times before a withdrawal is possible. For example: with a bonus of 100 CHF and a 35x requirement, a total of 3'500 CHF must be staked. If the requirement applies to the deposit plus the bonus, the necessary turnover is even higher.
What you should watch out for: which amount has to be wagered (only the bonus, or the deposit plus bonus)? How high is the wagering multiplier? Which games count how much towards the requirement – slots often at 100 per cent, table games frequently much less? Is there a time limit and a maximum withdrawal cap? Always read the bonus terms in full. A seemingly generous bonus with very high wagering requirements can be less attractive than a smaller, fair offer. We deliberately do not quote blanket bonus amounts – they change constantly and are only binding in each operator's current terms and conditions.
The good news first: winnings from licensed Swiss online casinos are largely tax-free. As things currently stand (2026), a win of up to around CHF 1'071'000 per win is tax-free at federal level; only the portion above that is taxable as income. The exact tax-free allowance is adjusted periodically and may vary slightly depending on the canton and the year, which is why «approx.» and «as of 2026» apply here.
The situation is different with foreign or non-licensed operators: such winnings are always fully taxable in Switzerland – another reason to play exclusively at ESBK-licensed Swiss casinos. Winnings in land-based Swiss casinos (that is, on site, for example at the Grand Casino Kursaal Bern) are, by contrast, completely tax-free.
Important: even tax-free winnings must be declared in your tax return. Being tax-free therefore does not exempt you from the obligation to declare. This information is general guidance and not tax advice – in individual cases and for the exact cantonal rules, it is worth consulting the relevant tax authority or a professional.
Gambling should remain entertainment. For the vast majority of people it is – but a small minority develop problematic gambling behaviour. Switzerland therefore takes player protection seriously, and licensed casinos are legally obliged to provide protective measures.
The central instrument is the gambling exclusion (Spielsperre) via the ESBK's federal exclusion system. This exclusion applies to all Swiss casinos – both land-based and at licensed online casinos – as well as to large-scale games. It can be requested voluntarily, can be lifted again at the earliest after three months, and can also be initiated by relatives or by the casino itself if there are signs of problematic gambling. One figure shows how widespread the instrument is: in 2024 alone, 18'216 new exclusions were registered.
In addition, reputable operators offer concrete tools for self-control: deposit limits, time limits and loss limits, with which you can restrict your gambling behaviour right from the start. An honest self-test is also helpful: do you play to make up for losses? Do you stake more than you can afford? Are you neglecting other obligations? Anyone who answers such questions with yes should take action. In general, a minimum age of 18 applies in Switzerland for taking part in gambling.
If you or someone close to you needs support, you will find free and confidential points of contact here:
18+ · Gambling can be addictive. Only play with money you can afford to lose.
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