Swiss Casinos Join Forces, Online Gambling Booms

The Swiss government has decided to issue fresh permits to all gambling establishments starting in 2025.

This announcement was made on Wednesday, May 22nd, following a gathering of representatives from the Swiss casino sector. Current licenses are valid until the end of 2024, and the new agreements will be issued for a period of two decades, coming into effect next year.

Prilly and Winterthur have been given authorization to establish new casinos. The latter will replace the existing casino in Schaffhausen, which did not apply for a license.

Gerhard Pfister, head of the Swiss Casino Association, believes that the new licenses represent a significant moment in Swiss gambling history.

“The granting of new franchises is a landmark event. The Federal Government has acknowledged that today’s casinos are capable of ensuring safe and accountable operations and generating substantial economic advantages in their respective areas,” said Pfister.

All Swiss casinos are now members of the association.
Furthermore, the Swiss Casino Group venues in Zurich, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, and Pfäffikon have joined the Swiss Casino Association with unanimous agreement. Winterthur will submit a membership application to the Swiss Casino Association upon commencement of operations.

This reveals that every single one of the 21 physical casinos and 10 internet casinos in Switzerland are now part of the Swiss Casino Association.

Fister is of the opinion that all Swiss casinos collaborating to join the organization will be advantageous for the entire sector.

“I am overjoyed that Swiss casinos have joined the association so that the entire gambling industry can speak with a unified voice,” Fister stated.

Mark Baumann, a member of the Swiss Casinos board of directors, added: “The online business is continuously transforming the Swiss casino industry. We are happy to work with the Swiss Casino Association to shape the future together.”

Total earnings from physical gambling are declining, but total earnings from internet gambling are on the rise.
In 2023, revenue from physical venues in Switzerland decreased slightly, but online casinos experienced a substantial year-over-year increase in earnings.

Last year, total gambling revenue (GGR) from physical venues was 623 million Swiss francs (536 million pounds/629 million euros/681.2 million dollars). This represented a 1.1% decrease from the previous year.

However, the combined total gambling revenue (GGR) of the 10 online casinos reached 286 million Swiss francs, a year-over-year increase of 14.3%. The Swiss Casino Association noted that this shift in popularity from physical to online products is consistent with changes observed in other sectors.

Casinos also paid 3% more tax than the previous year, with the state receiving a contribution of 409.3 million Swiss francs in 2023. Swiss casinos have contributed over 8 billion Swiss francs to taxes over the past 20 years. The majority of this revenue goes towards the country’s AHV pension system.

A Swiss gambling enterprise has revealed record earnings.

The Swiss Romande Lottery disclosed earlier this week that its net gains for 2023 climbed to 5.1 million Swiss francs. The lottery organization also donated a record 243.7 million Swiss francs to philanthropic causes.

Although the Romande Lottery’s total income for 2023 dipped by 3.4% to 420.7 million Swiss francs, the company established a new high in 2022 with total income reaching 435.5 million Swiss francs.

Romande Lottery President Jean-René Fournier credited the profit surge to reduced marketing and administrative expenses.

“This outcome is primarily attributed to rigorous control of operational costs, the enhancement of digital offerings, and the expansion of our services with the introduction of the European lottery game EuroDreams in October 2023,” Fournier stated.