The Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa) released its 2025 evaluation, highlighting that while player-protection measures implemented by Switzerland’s two lottery operators are largely effective online, there are significant risks in sports betting and glaring weaknesses in age verification at retail locations.
The report indicates that online platforms afford operators a more precise application of protection measures compared to physical sales points.
Operators Swisslos and Loterie Romande, which serve German-speaking and Francophone regions respectively, are bound by Article 84 of the Federal Act on Money Gaming (BGS) to submit annual reports concerning their player protection measures and their effectiveness. Gespa’s review is an independent analysis of these reports, conducted at the operators’ consent.
A notable finding from the evaluation came from mystery shopping, which revealed that nearly half of the 200 underage test customers were successfully able to place a sports bet at retail outlets. The ease was particularly evident at self-service terminals, which were less restrictive than transactions conducted with staff assistance. This drew attention to serious lapses in youth protection in brick-and-mortar environments. In response, Gespa and the operators are discussing introducing identity scanners for self-service options and enhancing employee training alongside additional mystery shopping initiatives.
Online gambling represented 24% of gross gaming revenue for the two operators in 2025, while the majority, 76%, stemmed from physical sales. Monthly net losses for online players remained consistent year over year, with Swisslos reporting average monthly losses from CHF47 ($581) to CHF83, barring large jackpot exceptions, and Loterie Romande noting averages between CHF56 and CHF75.
Sports betting, under Swisslos’s brand Sporttip, was identified as the highest-risk product category, characterized by elevated average losses and a notable proportion of players losing over CHF2,000 monthly. This demographic skews younger and predominantly male, a group recognized as being particularly susceptible to gambling-related harm. Gespa pointed out that the attributes of sports betting, particularly features like cash-out, could spur impulsive gambling behaviors or foster a deceptive perception of control.
In terms of monitoring and limits, both operators enforced mandatory monthly loss ceilings, specifically CHF2,000 for several products and CHF900 for certain games, alongside a blanket deposit limit of CHF10,000. Nevertheless, few players reached these limits: only 82 players, or 0.23% of those under the CHF2,000 cap at Swisslos, achieved it at least once, with Loterie Romande recording 160 players at 1%.
Temporary self-exclusion was employed by 0.57% of active Swisslos customers and 0.6% of Loterie Romande players in 2025. Automated warning systems flagged 3,048 players at Swisslos (0.47% of active users) and 220 at Loterie Romande (0.12%).
In 2025, Swisslos enforced 76 gambling bans, a significant increase from the 39 instituted in 2024, while Loterie Romande issued 65 bans, compared to 56 the previous year. A considerable number of these bans were a result of voluntary requests from players.
In a bid to enhance player safety, Loterie Romande replaced its prior Playscan tool with a new monitoring system from Sustainable Interaction that employs recent play data to assign a risk score to players. In addition, Swisslos initiated deposit-flow warnings for users making multiple deposits within a week and enhanced its information and blocking tools, promoting software like Gamban and Net Nanny.
Gespa praised Swisslos's initiative to lower the maximum monthly loss limit to CHF1,000 for users aged 18 to 21, a change set to take effect in March 2026.
Regarding earnings, Swisslos and Loterie Romande together reported a net profit of CHF814 million in 2025, reflecting a decrease of 4.7% from CHF854 million in 2024. Swisslos's net profit fell by 5.7% to CHF562 million, while Loterie Romande's dropped by 2.3% to CHF252 million. Under federal regulations, these profits are allocated by cantonal authorities to fund public benefit sectors, which include culture and social services.
In collaboration with cantonal and industry partners, Swisslos plans to participate in a research project in 2026-27 aimed at understanding the behaviors of banned players and assessing the effectiveness of exclusion measures. Additionally, the Federal Office of Statistics is set to conduct a national survey of gambling behaviors in 2026, with results anticipated in 2027.
