Since last week, Swiss people banned from casinos due to a risk of addiction can no longer frequent gambling houses in Liechtenstein. Politicians and prevention organizations are calling on the Confederation to extend this measure to other neighboring countries, in particular France.
Among Switzerland’s neighboring countries, only Liechtenstein excludes from its casinos the approximately 100,000 players banned on Swiss territory. This preventive measure came into force on Tuesday January 7, 2025.
For the Addiction Suisse foundation, the Confederation must not stop in Liechtenstein. “We advocate that the same type of agreement be found with France, Austria, Germany and Italy, but a lot of political work remains to be done to achieve this”, estimates Luca Notari, project manager, in on 7:30 p.m. on RTS.
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Since last year, the Confederation has been in discussions with France, but the legal frameworks on gambling are very different between the two states. “In France, exclusion is done on a voluntary basis,” explains Ingrid Ryser, spokesperson for the Federal Office of Justice.
“Discussions took place between our two countries on the possibilities of cooperation regarding the exchange of data of excluded players. In the long term, it is not impossible that a bilateral agreement with France could be considered,” specifies -She.
Take advantage of regulatory differences
In neighboring France, no less than ten establishments are within reach of Swiss players banned from gaming rooms. They can spend their money there legally. Near Geneva, for example, the French casino of St-Julien regularly welcomes Swiss customers.
-These people represent approximately 15% of the total customer base. “In this 15%, we know very well that there is a proportion of people, of players who come to casinos in France, here in particular, because they are prohibited on Swiss territory,” recognizes Patrick Péquiot, director of the casino.
When I played beyond my means, […] there was no one in the casino to tell me that I should limit the bets
Under condition of anonymity, a Vaudois player agreed to give his testimony to RTS. “For a while, I frequented a French border casino. I went there four to five times a month. I spent on average 500 euros per session,” he says.
“When I played beyond my means, when I had a slightly nervous attitude, there was no one in the casino to tell me that I would have to limit the bets.”
TV subject: Julien Guillaume
Web adaptation: Raphaël Dubois
