Launching Online Poker in Switzerland: An Interview with Swiss Casinos' Head of Online, Patrick Mastai Launching Online Poker in Switzerland: An Interview with Swiss Casinos' Head of Online, Patrick Mastai
Key Takeaways
  • Swiss Casinos Holding AG is a Swiss bricks-and-mortar gaming giant, operating four of the 21 licensed casinos in the country.
  • The company partnered with Playtech and has launched a fully-fledged online poker room onto its iPoker network.
  • “The introduction of a poker loyalty program will be one of the milestones in 2021.”

After a two year wait and to the surprise of many, Swiss Casinos became the first licensed online poker room in Switzerland late last month.

Swiss Casinos Holding AG is a Swiss bricks-and-mortar gaming giant, operating four of the 21 licensed casinos in the country. However, this marks the company’s first foray into online poker.

The company partnered with Playtech and has launched a fully-fledged online poker room onto its iPoker network. Swiss players have access to liquidity offered by iPoker’s global player pool.

It ends an 18-month blackout period in the country, where all operators withdrew from the market pending local regulations. While various online casinos have come online in the last two years, Swiss Casinos has the very first regulated online poker room.

To understand more about the launch, PRO spoke exclusively to Patrick Mastai, Director of Online Casino at Swiss Casinos.