The Lucerne government wants agreements with more countries
data exchange
Blocks for casino players: Lucerne government wants agreements with all neighboring countries
The federal government will exchange data on blocked players with the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Lucerne government council welcomes the plans, but calls for a similar agreement with neighboring countries and in other areas.
Players can voluntarily ban themselves in Switzerland if they run the risk of running into debt with excessive gambling. Or they are blocked by the casinos. Either way, the blocks only work in Switzerland. There is a risk that those affected will try their luck in neighboring countries. The federal government now wants to put a stop to this – initially with an agreement with the Principality of Liechtenstein.
The agreement WILL also affect players from the canton of Lucerne: After all, a drive from Casino Lucerne to Vaduz takes just one and a half hours when traffic is very heavy. The Lucerne government welcomes the agreement, according to the consultation response it sent to the Federal Department of Justice and Police last week.
Protection becomes demanding
“We support the strength of the agreement, which aims to strengthen the protection of players from excessive gambling,” writes Lucerne Justice and Security Director Paul Winiker on behalf of the Council. The agreement is “an important milestone” in the area of player protection, especially for the cantons of eastern Switzerland.
The SVP government council will go even further. The problem of blocked players continuing to play in border areas is not limited to the Principality of Liechtenstein. Switzerland should therefore strive for such an agreement with other neighboring countries. In addition, game suspensions are only one facet; Winiker therefore also encourages “deeper cross-border cooperation” in areas such as prevention or staff training.
Data will be deleted after blocking
As stated in the text of the agreement, Switzerland has also examined data exchange with other neighboring countries. However, neither the “geographical location and density of casinos nor the legal situation is comparable” to Liechtenstein. The agreement specifies which data categories are exchanged: surname and first name, date of birth, nationality and date of issue of the ban. The organizers of gambling games in the other country are not informed of the art and reason for the ban.
As soon as a gaming ban is lifted, the data of the person concerned may no longer be accessible to the other casinos. The consultation on the agreement lasts until January 20th. Switzerland has 21 casinos, Liechtenstein five.