Switzerland’s Gespa warns of risks in sports betting
Switzerland’s gambling regulator, Gespa, has issued a new evaluation of the effectiveness of player protection measures taken by the country’s two licensed lottery operators, Swisslos and Loterie Romande, concluding that while online safeguards remain strong, the risk of problem gambling in sports betting continues to demand close attention.
The “Evaluation report: effectiveness of the measures to protect gamblers 2024” reviews the data submitted by both lottery companies under the Federal Act on Gambling (BGS), which obliges organisers of large-scale games to report annually on the effectiveness of measures against excessive gambling.
Online controls effective, but sports betting remains a concern
According to Gespa, the overall picture remains positive. “The measures taken make a central contribution to controlled and informed gaming consumption,” the authority wrote, praising both companies for going “beyond the minimum legal requirements”.
A central feature of Switzerland’s responsible gambling framework is the imposition of mandatory loss limits, a tool Gespa described as “one of the most effective measures to protect players.” Both lottery operators maintain strict monthly caps on potential losses, CHF 2,000 (€1,940) for most online products, and up to CHF 9,999 (€9,700) for Swisslos’s sports betting platform, Sporttip.
Still, sports betting continues to stand out as the highest-risk product. Gespa observed that “sports betting remains the product that continues to pose the greatest risks,” adding that even though average player losses declined in 2024 compared with 2023, “they remain at a higher level than for other products.”
The report also noted that “the majority of players with monthly wallet losses above CHF 2,000 (€1,940) are concentrated in the sports betting segment” and that most of these high-spending players are “young men aged 18 to 29, a demographic identified by research as a risk group.”
“The continuous evaluation and strengthening of player protection, especially in sports betting, remains essential,” Gespa concluded.
Conflicts of interest in retail sales
While Gespa’s report emphasises progress in online controls, it takes a more cautious view of the land-based sales network, where 77 percent of total gross gaming revenue was generated in 2024.
The regulator highlighted the limits of prevention in physical outlets, where “the possibilities for implementing and measuring the effectiveness of player protection measures are restricted”. However, it singled out the long-running training and awareness programmes for retail staff as “central to both lottery companies’ social responsibility efforts.”
In a pointed remark, Gespa raised concerns about a “role conflict” among kiosk operators and other vendors who both sell gambling products and are responsible for enforcing social safeguards. “These persons perform a key control function to protect players from excessive gambling. If they themselves play, a conflict of roles results,” the authority wrote, adding that “a ban on gambling for retail outlet owners and their staff would therefore be desirable.”
This recommendation directly intersects with the political debate currently unfolding in Bern.
Socialist Party MP Jessica Jaccoud introduced a parliamentary initiative, arguing that the commission-based remuneration model for vendors, who earn 5 percent of sales turnover, creates “an extremely strong financial incentive that increases with the amount of bets placed, and on the other, an obligation to identify at-risk players and restrict their access to gambling.”
Her proposal would replace commissions with a flat-rate payment to eliminate the incentive to push sales, a reform opposed by industry groups and rejected by the National Council’s Science, Education and Culture Committee.
The regulator’s latest report lends implicit support to the reformers’ concerns, noting that “a ban on gambling for sales outlet operators would be appropriate,” echoing Jaccoud’s warning that “retailers find themselves torn between higher revenue and their legal responsibility to implement protection measures, which, by definition, would reduce their commission.”
Gespa to step up inspections in 2025
Gespa confirmed that it will “continue to give increased attention to land-based sports betting” and announced plans for mystery shopping inspections in 2025 to test compliance with youth protection measures at retail locations. The regulator cited “a concentration of irregularities in 2024 related to land-based sports betting sales”, linking them directly to player protection concerns.
The new inspections will assess whether minors can access sports betting terminals and whether staff adequately verify age and intervene with visibly risky players.
Both Loterie Romande and Swisslos have already expanded training programmes. The report praised their collaboration with addiction prevention experts and the creation of internal support lines for retailers who encounter problematic gamblers. Swisslos recorded 507 contacts with its internal responsible gambling unit in 2024, up from 387 the previous year.
A tightening regulatory net
In August 2025, Gespa announced that the national blacklist of unlicensed gambling websites had reached 2,597 domains, as the country is determined to maintain a closed but controlled model that protects consumers and channels revenues to public-interest causes.
Under the Federal Act on Money Games (AMG), online gambling is permitted only for Swiss-licensed operators. Internet service providers must block access to any site not authorised by Gespa or the Federal Gaming Board (ESBK).
The system has proven popular with voters, 73 percent supported it in the 2018 referendum, but regulators acknowledge that illegal online offers remain a threat. Gespa emphasised in its latest evaluation that maintaining a strong legal market is also a preventive measure: “It must remain possible for lottery companies, within legal boundaries, to offer attractive and competitive games in order to prevent players from migrating to the illegal market.”
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