Swiss Casino Revenue Falls 2,1% in 2025

Total Casino Revenue Declines

The Swiss Federal Casino Commission (ESBK) reported that the country’s casinos generated a combined gross gaming revenue (GGR) of CHF878.5 million ($1.08 billion) in 2025, representing a 2.1% decrease from the CHF898 million recorded in 2024.

Land-based casinos contributed CHF564.9 million, down 3.9% year-on-year, while online operations generated CHF313.6 million, reflecting a 1.2% increase.

The results align with broader trends in Switzerland’s regulated gambling market. Earlier figures from the Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa) showed that lottery and sports betting turnover fell 2.4% to CHF3.87 billion in 2025, while gross player yield declined 3.7% to CHF1.203 billion.

Casino Taxes and Regulatory Funding

Casino revenues generated CHF263.1 million in federal casino levies during 2025, also down 2.1% from the previous year. Of that amount, CHF219.99 million was allocated to the federal government and CHF43.08 million to cantonal authorities.

The ESBK operated with a budget of CHF10.7 million. Fees and fines covered CHF9.36 million of its expenses, while the remaining CHF1.35 million was funded by the federal treasury.

New Licensing Cycle Brings Market Changes

The year marked the beginning of a new casino concession period that will run through 2044, replacing the previous licensing framework.

By the end of 2025, Switzerland had 20 land-based casinos and nine licensed online operators.

Several operators experienced significant changes during the year. Casino St. Moritz ceased operations in April due to financial difficulties and lost its concession in August. Casino Schaffhausen permanently closed in October after 23 years, with its assets and employees transferred to Casino Winterthur.

Meanwhile, Casino Davos temporarily suspended operations to relocate before reopening in December after passing regulatory inspections.

Online Market Sees Entries and Exits

The online segment also underwent notable changes. Mendrisio launched its online gambling platform in July 2025.

At the same time, Casino Basel and Casino Montreux exited the online market after determining that their digital operations were not financially viable, resulting in the revocation of their licence extensions.

Prilly received an extension until 31 October 2026 to begin operations due to unexpected building remediation work.

Player Protection Measures Expanded

The ESBK continued to strengthen player protection through Switzerland’s nationwide self-exclusion register, Spielsperre. The number of exclusions has continued to increase since the country’s gambling reforms were introduced in 2019.

A major development came on 7 January 2025, when Switzerland and Liechtenstein introduced automatic mutual recognition of exclusion orders, allowing gambling bans issued in one country to be enforced in the other.

However, the regulator noted concerns about the quality and accuracy of some exclusion records and suggested that legislative amendments may be necessary to improve the system’s effectiveness.

Illegal Gambling Remains a Key Challenge

The ESBK highlighted a significant increase in illegal online gambling activity during 2025, reflecting trends seen across Europe.

To combat the issue, regulators blocked 580 domains linked to unauthorized gambling websites and launched 105 new investigations.

The commission also worked closely with cantonal police and prosecutors, while calling for stronger cooperation among European regulators to address cross-border illegal gambling more effectively.