A plain, dated guide to how Switzerland treats prediction markets and event contracts: why GESPA reads them as unlicensed money games under the Money Gaming Act, the Polymarket block of 2024, and what would have to change. Information, not legal advice. As of June 2026.
Last reviewed 17 June 2026 · Status as of June 2026 · Information, not legal advice
As of June 2026, there is no licensed prediction market or event contract service for residents of Switzerland. The Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority, GESPA, reads binary event contracts as unlicensed money games under the Money Gaming Act, and in November 2024 it placed Polymarket on the access block run with the Federal Gaming Board. Major United States venues such as Kalshi list Switzerland among restricted jurisdictions. Treat the category as unlicensed gambling here and confirm your own position before acting.
A contract price is an implied probability, not a prediction. In an exchange model there is no house taking the other side, only other participants, and the price moves as they trade.
Whether a market is reachable from where you live has no bearing on whether it is legal there, or on whether it is a wise place to put money. Read our explainer on how the prices work before you treat any number as a forecast.
No platform on our index operates a licensed real money prediction market or event contract service to residents here. We therefore show no open account module on this page. Where that changes, we will list the licensed venue and date it.
Classified by GESPA as an unlicensed online money game and placed on the ESBK access block in November 2024. We do not point Swiss readers to it. See our profile for how we assess the platform itself.
Kalshi lists Switzerland among the jurisdictions it does not serve. Its event contracts are built around United States CFTC registration, which has no Swiss equivalent.
The remaining venues on our index are either United States only or operate without a Swiss licence. None offers a licensed real money service to Swiss residents as of June 2026.
Platform positions are as of June 2026 and can change. We link to a platform profile for reference only, and we do not present an open account module where no venue is licensed and available to a Swiss reader.
The relevant authority is GESPA, the intercantonal Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority, which supervises non casino money games and maintains the access block with the Federal Gaming Board, the ESBK. If event contracts were ever reclassified as financial instruments, oversight would shift to FINMA, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority.
Confirm the live position directly with GESPA and FINMA before relying on anything here. We never invent a citation, and where a position is contested we say so.
Legal does not mean low risk, and reachable does not mean legal. Prediction markets can lose you money. Stake only what you can afford to lose, never to chase a loss, and never on borrowed money. If it stops feeling like a free choice, step back. In Switzerland, free and confidential help for gambling problems is available through cantonal counselling services and the SOS Jeu network.
As of June 2026, no licensed prediction market or event contract service operates for Swiss residents. GESPA treats binary event contracts as unlicensed money games under the Money Gaming Act, and Polymarket was placed on the Swiss access block in November 2024. Treat the category as unlicensed gambling here. This is general information, not legal advice.
GESPA, the intercantonal Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority, supervises non casino money games and maintains the access block with the Federal Gaming Board, the ESBK. A financial reclassification would move oversight to FINMA, but no such change is in active legislation as of June 2026.
Yes. In November 2024 GESPA classified Polymarket as an unlicensed online money game and the domain was added to the access block. Swiss providers restrict reachability, and any stakes are outside the protection of the Money Gaming Act. As of June 2026.
Only with a specific exemption under the Money Gaming Act or a reclassification of event contracts as financial instruments under FINMA. Neither is in active legislation as of June 2026, so we treat a licensed route as not currently available.
Reachability is not legality. A site you can open may still be unlicensed here, which means no Swiss consumer protection applies and recourse is limited. Confirm your own position and treat the risk as higher before acting.
The status above reflects the Swiss money gaming framework and GESPA enforcement as we read them. These change, so verify the current rules before you act.
Status as of June 2026. General information, not legal advice.