By Tatiana Martins, journalist at G&M News.
The gambling market in Switzerland is entering a gradual transformation as digitalization changes consumer behavior, and the country begins a new casino concession period that will shape the sector for the next two decades. While the market operates within a tightly controlled regulatory framework, the shift towards online gaming is creating new opportunities for operators and changing how player protection and regulatory oversight are managed.
In 2025, Swiss casinos generated CHF 878 million (USD 1.05 billion) in gross gaming revenue (GGR). Online gaming revenue increased by 1.2%, while land-based casino revenue declined by 3.9%. Casino taxes reached CHF 353 million (USD 424 million), with the majority allocated to the country’s old-age and survivors’ insurance (AHV) and disability insurance (IV) systems.
A new concession period sets the direction
Switzerland’s new casino concession period runs from 2025 to 2044, providing operators with a long-term framework for investment and development. The Federal Council granted concessions in November 2023.
The country currently has 21 licensed land-based casinos, including 10 Category A and 11 Category B establishments. Some casinos have temporarily or permanently discontinued operations, while others have introduced new products or expanded their activities, keeping the overall number relatively stable.
The long concession period gives the Swiss gaming industry greater visibility for investment decisions. At the same time, operators must navigate a regulatory environment in which compliance, player protection, and responsible gaming remain central to their business models
Digitalization changes the physical casino landscape
One of the most significant developments in the Swiss gaming market has been the expansion of online gaming. Licensed land-based casinos can apply to extend their concessions to offer online games, creating a direct connection between the established casino industry and digital platforms. The performance of the online segment in 2025 illustrates this shift. While land-based casino GGR fell by 3.9%, online gaming GGR increased by 1.2%.
Digitalization is also changing player-protection practices. According to the Federal Gaming Board, around 80% of new gambling bans in 2025 originated from online gaming. A total of 16,429 new bans were recorded during the year, including 8,021 self-imposed bans.
The data highlights how digital platforms are becoming important for both gaming revenue and responsible gaming measures. Online environments provide operators with more behavioral data, which can support the identification of potentially problematic gambling patterns and earlier interventions.
Defending the regulated ecosystem
Switzerland also maintains a strict approach towards operators that do not hold a local license. Foreign operators without Swiss authorization cannot legally offer gaming services to consumers in the country.
The Federal Gaming Board and Gespa maintain lists of unauthorized providers and can request that access to illegal online gaming websites be blocked. In 2025, 580 new domains were added to the blocking list, almost 30% more than in 2024. Authorities also conducted 28 house searches and had 209 criminal investigations relating to unauthorized gaming activities underway during the year.
Enforcement system gives licensed operators a clearly defined competitive environment. This is relevant in Europe, where gaming regulation remains fragmented and operators often have to adapt their strategies to different national licensing systems, advertising rules and consumer-protection requirements.
Sports betting follows a different structure
Sports betting operates under a different model in Switzerland. Swisslos provides lottery and sports betting products in German and Italian-speaking cantons, while Loterie Romande serves the French-speaking cantons.
Both organizations work through online and retail channels, making Switzerland structurally different from many European markets where private sportsbook operators dominate the sector.
According to Gespa, the Swiss sports betting and lottery market generated CHF 3.87 billion (USD 4.65 billion) in turnover in 2025, with GGR reaching CHF 1.20 billion (USD 1.44 billion). GGR declined by 3.7% during the year, while net expenditure per inhabitant stood at CHF 132 (USD 158).
A key characteristic of the Swiss model is the destination of gaming revenues. Net revenues from lotteries and sports betting are allocated to public-benefit purposes rather than being treated solely as commercial income.
Gaming revenue supports public-benefit projects
Swisslos generated CHF 776 million (USD 932 million) in GGR in 2025. Of this amount, CHF 562 million (USD 675 million) was allocated for distribution, including CHF 506 million (USD 607 million) to cantonal funds and CHF 56 million (USD 67 million) to national sports organizations.
These funds support projects across areas such as sport, culture, social welfare and environmental protection. This public-benefit structure is an important part of Switzerland’s gaming model. The industry therefore operates within a framework in which commercial activity, regulation and public funding are closely connected.
Player protection remains central
Player protection is another defining feature of the Swiss gaming framework. Casinos can impose gambling bans when there are indications that a player is experiencing financial difficulties, is unable to meet financial obligations, is placing bets that are disproportionate to their financial circumstances or may have developed a gambling problem. Players can also request a self-imposed ban.
The number of new bans recorded in 2025 demonstrates the scale of this area. Of the 16,429 new bans, 8,021 were self-imposed. Around 49% of newly banned players were between 18 and 30 years old.
Moreover, the role of online gaming gives operators additional tools to monitor behavior. Transactional and behavioral data can help identify changes in playing patterns and support responsible-gaming interventions.
Regulation faces new digital challenges
The evolution of the gaming market is also creating new regulatory questions. Prediction markets, for example, have attracted growing attention in 2026 as new platforms and products blur the boundaries between gaming, betting and financial-style contracts.
Gespa has noted that certain prediction-market contracts may fall within the definition of gambling under Swiss law. Under the current framework, authorization is available for bets relating to the outcome or course of sporting events, while other types of betting may face different regulatory treatment.
Unauthorized foreign providers can also be subject to enforcement measures, including website blocking. The development of new digital products illustrates one of the central challenges facing regulators: maintaining a controlled gaming environment while ensuring that legislation can respond to technological and commercial innovation.
A market shaped by digitalization and control
Switzerland is unlikely to compete with Europe’s largest gaming markets in terms of sheer volume. Its relevance lies elsewhere: in the combination of an established casino industry, regulated online gaming, a structured sports betting system, strong enforcement mechanisms, and the allocation of gaming revenues to public-benefit purposes.
The 2025–2044 concession period provides the sector with a long-term framework, while the growth of online gaming is pushing operators to adapt their products, technology and responsible gaming strategies.
For gaming suppliers and technology companies, this makes regulatory expertise almost as important as commercial strategy. Understanding how digital products fit within Switzerland’s licensing and player-protection framework is essential for companies seeking to operate in the market.
Switzerland therefore offers a distinctive example of how digitalization can reshape an established gaming industry without fundamentally changing its regulatory principles. Rather than being defined by market size alone, its strategic importance comes from the way technology, regulation, enforcement, and public-benefit objectives operate together.