Explore Poker in Switzerland: Laws, Events, and Venues

For many, Switzerland is mainly associated with offshore bank accounts thanks to the country’s famously safe and proper banking system and low tax rates. Therefore one might think that gambling companies from around the world would be fleeing to the Alpine country. However, unfortunately, the reality of the situation is somewhat disappointing.

Historically, gambling was outlawed in Switzerland for most of the 20th Century. The prohibition started in 1921 and lasted until 1993. Games of chance then were allowed with stakes limited by law. In the 2000’s even stakes limitations were repealed.

According to gambling.com, one fifth of the Swiss population are “frequent gamblers”. Horse racing, lottery and sports betting (especially betting on soccer) are the most popular games of chance.

The Swiss betting men did receive some bad news in early 2010, however. The Supreme Court of their nation ruled that in poker tournaments, luck plays a greater factor in determining the outcome than skill. Thus they put a ban to private poker tournaments.

Before the prohibition, bars, restaurants and hotels often held tourneys of their own for their poker loving patrons. With the new ruling only licenced casinos can do that legally.

In late 2018, more mad news came. New legislation barred foreign companies from offering online gambling services in the country, leaving them with just a few Switzerland-based online casinos to choose from.

Famous Swiss Poker Players

Linus “LLinusLLove” Loeliger is one of the world’s best online cash game players. He’s won over $1.5 million on cash games on PokerStars after playing almost 150,000 hands, according to an online cash game results tracking site. The website stopped recorded his results in April 2018 – however, LLinusLLove didn’t stop. He’s still out there grinding at the highest stakes cash tables on the internet.

Even popular poker YouTuber Joe Ingram took notice of the crazy hands he and Belgian poker pro Otb_ReDBarron were playing for huge amounts of money, and made multiple videos about them.

Loeliger also tops the Swiss all time money list on Hendon with $1.865 million. His biggest live tournament cash is from July 2019, when he won a £25K 6-handed turbo event for £690,000 at the Triton High Roller Series in London.

Second on the Swiss Hendon list is Claudio “Swissy” Rinaldi with $1.706 million in live tournament earnings. He made his biggest live tournament cash in September 2008, when he came in 2nd in an €8,000 Partouche Poker Tour event for €511,100.