Switzerland probes alleged pacts to avoid keyword bidding on Google and Bing

Switzerland's competition authority (ComCo) opened investigations on April 30, 2026 into alleged anti-competitive agreements in which travel firms and online casinos agreed not to bid on rivals' trademarked search keywords on platforms such as Alphabet's Google and Microsoft's Bing. ComCo is probing one case targeting three Swiss package-holiday firms and a broader inquiry covering nearly all online casinos operating in Switzerland. While search engines are not formal targets, they will be interviewed as part of the inquiry, which could take one to two years. Market impact is likely limited near-term for Alphabet (GOOG.OQ) and Microsoft (MSFT.OQ) since they are not accused parties, but the probe increases regulatory scrutiny of online advertising practices and could affect digital ad dynamics and legal/compliance costs for firms in the travel and gambling sectors if wrongdoing is found.