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Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Gambling Games Played in Liechtenstein
Players from Liechtenstein have been visiting the websites of various virtual casinos and playing the slots by such developers as: Greentube, EGT, Amatic, IGT, Push Gaming, Light & Wonder and others. The classic "Austrian-style" slots familiar from land-based halls in the region remain the most played. It would be difficult to single out any specific slots that the players prefer more than others. They undoubtedly are familiar with such top-ranking games as: Book of Ra Deluxe, Book of Ra Magic, Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe, Amazon's Diamonds, Sizzling Hot, Dice & Roll, Hot Scatter, Razor Shark and Huff N' More Puff.
Gambling Legislation
There were many attempts being made to legalise the gambling industry in Liechtenstein. The first attempt was made as far back as 1868, when the country encountered some financial hardships. Prince Johann I, however, managed to pay all debts out of his own pocket, since he did not want any gambling presence in the Principality. Ever since then there have been ongoing discussions on this issue, but any attempt to legalise the gambling industry have never been successful. Only in 2010 the Parliament (Landtag) passed the gambling law (Geldspielgesetz) that came into force on 1 January 2011. This law views any games for money as gambling, where winnings are determined at random. They include: games of skill. This is the category that includes entertainment, where the result fully or partially depends on the player's mastery or skill. These games are normally played in casinos (poker, blackjack, etc.), lotteries, sportsbooks, bookmaking, slot machines, gaming tournaments in casinos, online gambling. Gambling law in Liechtenstein is designed to ensure safe, orderly and transparent gambling operations, safeguard the clients and third parties in the area of gaming operations against money laundering, organised crime and funding of terrorism through game suppliers and prevent socially detrimental consequences of gaming operations. Within these aims, the law is also meant to generate revenue for the state and to support non-profit and charitable projects and activities. These are the people who are forbidden to take part in gambling: those under 18 years of age, people who have applied to block gambling for themselves in order to be protected from gambling addiction (since 7 January 2025 this also covers players banned in Swiss casinos, see below), members of government, officers of supervisory agencies, as well as members of the Advisory Council and people towards whom enforcement measures were taken in compliance with the Law On International Sanctions. Casino games will be restricted for the following: members of government and casino employees, stockholders that own more than 5% of the casino's shares and staff of affiliate companies that produce or sell gaming items.
Evolution of the laws in Liechenstein
The new law was developed by applying the Swiss experience. The government figured that legalisation of gambling entertainment would create new jobs for the people of Liechtenstein, extra tax deductions will be coming to the treasury and the Principality will increase the number of tourists coming in. This bill came into effect in 2011, but for several years not a single land-based casino was opened in the territory of the state. In 2012, however, an attempt was made to grant a concession to Vaduzerhof AG casino. But the project was curtailed because another contender for the concession - Admiral AG - filed a complaint concerning the rejection. The litigation lasted for about a year. The government eventually decided to reconsider the rashly-adopted gambling acts. In October 2016 the amendments came into force that replaced the concession system for gaming establishments with a licensing (permit) system: since then a casino needs a permit from the Office of Economic Affairs (Amt für Volkswirtschaft), and the number of casinos is not capped. Admiral Casinos AG and Casinos Austria AG were the first to apply, and in August 2017 Casino Admiral in Ruggell became the first casino in the country, followed the same year by Casino Schaanwald of the Casinos Austria group. The analysts claimed that new casinos in Liechtenstein would be able to compete with the nearest Swiss casinos, since the percentage of taxes is much lower (17.5% to 40% after the 2016 amendments) than in neighbouring Switzerland. That turned out to be true: more casinos opened in 2019–2023, and the Principality was nicknamed the "Las Vegas of the Alps".
The fast growth prompted a popular initiative to ban casinos by amending the Constitution. In the referendum of 29 January 2023 voters rejected it by 73.3% to 26.7%. The decisive change came instead from player protection: under an agreement with Switzerland signed in 2022, the two countries have exchanged their lists of banned players since 7 January 2025, so that around 100,000 gaming bans issued in Swiss casinos also apply in Liechtenstein, and vice versa. Many of the casinos' guests had come from Switzerland, and in 2025 the gross gaming revenue of Liechtenstein's casinos fell by almost 60%, from CHF 140.8 million in 2024 to about CHF 57 million. LV Casino in Eschen closed in January 2025 and Casino Admiral in Ruggell, the oldest casino in the country, closed at the end of September 2025.
As far as online gambling is concerned, the law allows it under a government concession, but the government has not granted any online concessions: in December 2023 it extended the moratorium and suspended the processing of applications for online gambling concessions until the end of 2028. Therefore, not a single online casino has been registered in the country so far. Nonetheless, players from Liechtenstein can freely visit the websites of foreign operators. The gambling law does not provide for blocking these websites or for penalising the players.
Regulators
The main regulator of the gambling industry in the Principality of Liechtenstein is the Office of Economic Affairs (Amt für Volkswirtschaft). It is the Office of Economic Affairs that grants casino permits, keeps the public register of licensed gambling operators and prepares the government's decisions on concessions for lotteries, betting and online gambling.
Overseeing and enforcement of the gambling law is carried out by: the Government, the Office of Economic Affairs and the Financial Market Authority (FMA), which supervises the anti-money-laundering due diligence of the operators. The full text of the law is published in the official Liechtenstein law database (Geldspielgesetz, GSG).
Gambling Licensing
Until 2016 each operator that would like to set up a casino in the country's territory had to be granted a concession from the Government, which could limit the number of concessions. Since the 2016 amendments a casino needs a permit (Bewilligung) from the Office of Economic Affairs instead, and there is no fixed limit on the number of casinos. The casino must be run as a public limited company (or a European company) with its seat in Liechtenstein or another EEA state. A permit for casino operations may be granted only when:
- The applicant divided the share capital into registered shares no later than two months after the concession was granted
- The applicant, key business partners, shareholders and people that can lawfully manage the company's property, all have sufficient personal funds, a good reputation and guarantees on flawless operation of the business
- The applicant, shareholders and key partners have proven the lawful origin of funds upon the request from the Government
- Independence from any external management, transparency and monitoring of gaming operations and cashflow that are provided by policies, organisation, contractual obligations, internal regulations and quality management systems
- The applicant guarantees safety, due diligence and social concept
- The applicant provides performance calculations that show that the company is economically viable
- The applicant has outlined the casino's economic advantages in a written report
- The applicant has an appropriate domestic facility
The concession procedure still applies to online gambling. To be granted a concession, the operator must submit an application to the Office of Economic Affairs. The Government will make a decision on the issuance. If the number of applications submitted exceeds the pre-planned number of government concessions, the Government makes a decision based on the quality of applications for the optimal implementation of the objective of the existing gambling law. An online gambling concession is normally valid for five years. The government can provide a shorter or longer term of validity if this is justified by special circumstances. The concession can also be expanded or renewed. The concession, however, cannot be transferred. A casino permit can be withdrawn if the casino does not start operating within two years or stops operating for a longer period. Casino operators and concessionaires must notify the Office of Economic Affairs: with no delay and no later than four weeks concerning any major changes in the licensing conditions (criminal investigation or criminal record, bankruptcy, revocation or suspension of concessions) and in timely manner, until legal effect comes into force: on transferring of shares in concentration of more than 5% of the capital or transferring of voting rights to one shareholder; on increase or decrease of the share; on entering into agreements with key business partners.
Online gambling in Liechtenstein
Online gambling in Liechtenstein is legal. The legislation states that an organiser of online games must publish the following information on the homepage: its name and address, the date of the concession agreement, an indication that it is a legitimate monetary game and an indication that minors are forbidden to play. Prior to starting the game the operator must request the following information from the player: name and address including e-mail address, date of birth and a bank account number or a credit card number with the name and address of the holder. Online games may only be played privately or inside licensed casinos, not in public places, arcades or bars. Today there is not a single online casino registered in the territory of Liechtenstein, and under the moratorium no online concessions will be processed until the end of 2028, but the local players can still visit the websites of foreign operators freely. Many websites of online casinos are available to them, which accept bets in either Euros or Swiss Francs. Normally the interface on these websites is available in German.
Development of the Gambling Market in Liechtenstein
Even though gambling in Liechtenstein has been officially allowed since 2011, the first casinos were founded on the country's soil only in 2017, when Admiral Casinos AG opened Casino Admiral in Ruggell and the Casinos Austria group opened Casino Schaanwald. Since tax rates were relatively low, many companies were willing to enter the country's market: more casinos followed in Bendern (Gamprin), Triesen, Balzers, Schaan and Eschen, and for several years gambling levies became a noticeable source of revenue for the budget. Some venues did not last, for example Casino 96 in Balzers closed in 2022. After the exchange of player bans with Switzerland in January 2025, revenue collapsed and further casinos closed. In 2026 four casinos remain open: Grand Casino Liechtenstein in Bendern, Casino Schaanwald, Casino Admiral Triesen and Alpin Royal Casino in Schaan. No web-based casino has been licensed in the country.
Taxation
The state collects taxes (Geldspielabgabe) from the gross revenue of the gambling industry by applying the following brackets: casinos - no less than 17.5% and no more than 40% on a progressive scale (the minimum was 12.5% before the 2016 amendments), lotteries and wagers - no less than 10% and no more than 20% and online gambling - no less than 5% and no more than 12.5%.
