Swiss regulator flags retail age-check failures despite online safeguards
Gespa’s review found responsible gambling controls are generally more effective online than through land-based sales channels.
Key takeaways
- Mystery-shopping exercises found nearly half of 200 underage test customers were able to place sports bets at retail outlets.
- Gespa said online channels allow lottery operators to implement and evaluate player-protection measures more effectively than land-based networks.
- Sports betting was identified as the highest-risk product category, with the largest player losses and highest proportion of customers losing more than CHF2,000 per month.
- Both operators maintained mandatory loss and deposit limits, with only a small proportion of players reaching those thresholds during 2025.
- Swisslos and Loterie Romande generated combined net profit of CHF814m in 2025, down 4.7 per cent year-on-year.
Switzerland’s gambling regulator has concluded that player-protection measures used by lottery operators Swisslos and Loterie Romande are generally working effectively online, while highlighting weaknesses in age-verification controls at retail betting locations. Gespa’s 2025 review found that sports betting remains the highest-risk gambling product and that underage customers were frequently able to place bets through physical sales channels. The findings form part of the regulator’s evaluation of responsible gambling measures under the Federal Act on Money Gaming.
Switzerland.- One of Switzerland’s two gambling regulators has concluded that player-protection measures employed by the country’s two lottery operators are generally working well online, although concerns remain over sports betting risks and shortcomings in age-verification controls at physical retail locations.
In its 2025 evaluation, the Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa) said online channels allow operators to implement and assess responsible gambling safeguards more effectively than land-based sales networks. One of the report’s most notable findings concerned underage gambling controls. Mystery-shopping exercises commissioned by the regulator found that almost half of 200 underage test customers were able to place sports bets at retail outlets. Self-service betting terminals were found to be less restrictive than transactions conducted through staff.
Gespa said the results exposed significant weaknesses at physical points of sale. The regulator and operators are now examining possible technical solutions, including identity-scanning technology for self-service terminals. Additional staff training, further mystery-shopping exercises and enhanced age-verification tools have also been introduced.
While online gambling accounted for 24 per cent of combined gross gaming revenue generated by the two operators in 2025, the remaining 76 per cent came through land-based channels.
The review stems from requirements under Article 84 of the Federal Act on Money Gaming (BGS), which obliges operators to submit annual reports detailing their player-protection measures and evaluating their effectiveness. The assessment covers Swisslos, which operates lotteries in German-speaking Switzerland, and Loterie Romande, which serves the country’s French-speaking regions. While Gespa’s review of the operators’ reports is not mandatory, it is published with the consent of both organisations.
The report found that average monthly net losses among active online customers remained broadly stable compared with the previous year. Sports betting remained the highest-risk product category. Under the Sporttip brand operated by Swisslos, sports betting generated the highest average player losses and recorded the largest proportion of customers losing more than CHF2,000 (€2,170) per month.
According to Gespa, sports bettors also tend to be younger and predominantly male, a demographic group that gambling addiction research has identified as more vulnerable to gambling-related harm. The regulator said sports betting warrants continued scrutiny, particularly as products increasingly incorporate features such as cash-out options, which may encourage impulsive behaviour or create an inflated perception of player control.
Both operators maintain mandatory monthly loss limits across a range of gambling products. These include caps of CHF2,000 and CHF900 for certain games, while a monthly deposit ceiling of CHF10,000 applies across product categories. Only a small percentage of players reached those limits during 2025. Swisslos reported that 82 customers, representing 0.23 per cent of those subject to a CHF2,000 monthly cap, reached the threshold at least once. Loterie Romande recorded 160 such cases, equivalent to 1 per cent of affected players.
Temporary self-exclusion was used by 0.57 per cent of active online Swisslos customers and 0.6 per cent of active Loterie Romande users during the year. Automated monitoring systems flagged 3,048 Swisslos players, or 0.47 per cent of active users, and 220 Loterie Romande customers, representing 0.12 per cent of their active player base.
Swisslos imposed 76 gambling bans under Article 80 of the Federal Act on Gambling during 2025, up from 39 in 2024. Loterie Romande issued 65 bans, compared with 56 the previous year. Gespa noted that a significant number of exclusions followed voluntary requests from players.
During the year, Loterie Romande replaced its Playscan tool with a monitoring solution supplied by Sustainable Interaction. The system combines recent gambling activity with self-assessment results to generate a seven-tier risk rating that is displayed to customers.
Swisslos introduced new warnings for customers attempting to make a fifth deposit within a week and expanded the range of information and blocking tools available to players, including recommendations for software such as Gamban and Net Nanny. The regulator also welcomed a Swisslos initiative introduced in March 2026 that reduced the maximum monthly loss limit for Sporttip customers aged between 18 and 21 to CHF1,000.
Financially, the two operators reported combined net profit of CHF814m in 2025, down 4.7 per cent from CHF854m a year earlier. Swisslos recorded a 5.7 per cent decline in net profit to CHF562m, while Loterie Romande’s net profit fell 2.3 per cent to CHF252m.
Under Swiss federal rules, profits generated by the lottery operators are distributed by cantonal authorities to support public-interest sectors including sport, culture and social services.
Looking ahead, Swisslos plans to participate in a research project during 2026 and 2027 alongside cantonal and industry partners to examine the behaviour of excluded players and assess the effectiveness of gambling bans. Separately, the Federal Office of Statistics is conducting a nationwide study of gambling behaviour during 2026, with findings expected to be published in 2027.
FAQs
What did Switzerland’s gambling regulator find about underage gambling controls?
Mystery-shopping exercises found that almost half of 200 underage test customers were able to place sports bets at retail outlets. Self-service betting terminals were found to be less restrictive than staff-assisted transactions.
Why does Gespa consider sports betting a higher-risk product?
Sports betting generated the highest average player losses and the largest proportion of customers losing more than CHF2,000 per month. Gespa also noted that sports bettors tend to be younger and predominantly male.
What player-protection limits apply to Swiss lottery customers?
The operators impose mandatory monthly loss limits on certain gambling products, including caps of CHF2,000 and CHF900, alongside a monthly deposit limit of CHF10,000 across product categories.
How did Swisslos and Loterie Romande perform financially in 2025?
The two operators reported combined net profit of CHF814m in 2025, down from CHF854m the previous year. Swisslos reported CHF562m in net profit, while Loterie Romande reported CHF252m.
