Gambling regulators from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have agreed to deepen cooperation against illegal online gambling following their annual DACHL meeting in Bern on 9 and 10 September 2026.
The DACHL format brings together authorities from the four countries for regular discussions on regulatory and enforcement issues affecting their markets. The Swiss Federal Gaming Board said illegal online gambling is currently the biggest challenge facing gambling supervision.
During the two-day meeting, regulators compared developments across their jurisdictions, reviewed enforcement measures and discussed how cooperation against illegal gambling offers could be strengthened.
Switzerland hosted the meeting, with the Federal Gaming Board, Federal Office of Justice and Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority, Gespa, representing the country. The Federal Gaming Board supervises Swiss casinos and combats illegal gambling, while Gespa oversees lotteries, sports betting, certain skill-based games and illegal gambling activity.
Data-sharing arrangements could extend beyond Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Regulators reviewed an existing agreement between Switzerland and Liechtenstein covering the exchange of information on people subject to gambling exclusions, which has been in place since January 2025.
Participants considered whether similar information and data-sharing arrangements could be extended to additional countries as part of cross-border cooperation. No decision was announced, and the authorities did not identify which countries could be included or provide a timetable for expansion.
Swiss regulators said regular exchanges between authorities help identify new developments earlier and allow supervisory approaches to be adjusted when necessary.
Prediction markets and sports integrity remain part of the regulatory agenda
Furthermore, prediction markets were discussed during the Bern meeting as regulators examine products that allow users to take positions on future events. The authorities did not announce a common regulatory position on prediction markets.
Sports betting discussions also covered implementation of the Macolin Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions.
The Council of Europe convention provides a framework for preventing, detecting and sanctioning match manipulation and encourages cooperation between public authorities, sports organisations, betting operators and competition organisers.
Regulators favour continued coordination over immediate new measures
The meeting did not produce new legislation or an immediate joint enforcement action. Instead, the discussions point to coordination between Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein as regulators deal with issues that extend beyond national markets.
Illegal online gambling is the main shared concern, while data-sharing, prediction markets, sports integrity, case law and research are becoming more important areas of cooperation. The DACHL framework gives the four authorities a forum to compare enforcement approaches and identify developments that may require coordinated responses.
Illegal online gambling has become a cross-border enforcement problem in Europe’s DACHL region. This latest meeting focused on pushing information sharing because coordinated data and exclusion systems will give regulators a stricter response to operators and products moving across jurisdictions.
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