Swiss Casinos See Growth in Online Gambling, New Permits Issued
The Swiss government’s executive body will be granting fresh permits for all gambling establishments commencing in 2025.
The declaration was made on Wednesday, the 22nd of May, following a gathering with representatives of the Swiss gambling sector. These new permits will be valid for two decades and will become effective next year, as the current authorizations expire at the end of 2024.
New gambling houses will be permitted in Prilly and Winterthur. The latter will take the place of the existing gambling establishment in Schaffhausen, which did not apply for a new permit.
Gerhard Pfister, head of the Swiss Casino Association, believes these new permits mark a significant moment in Swiss gambling history.
“The issuing of new concessions is a landmark,” stated Pfister. “The federal authority has acknowledged that present-day casinos are capable of ensuring safe and accountable operations and generate considerable economic advantages in their respective regions.”
All Swiss casinos are now members of the association.
Furthermore, the Swiss Casino Group locations in Zurich, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, and Pfäffikon have joined the Swiss Casino Association by unanimous agreement. Winterthur will submit a request for membership to the Swiss Casino Association upon opening.
This signifies that all 21 brick-and-mortar gambling establishments and 10 virtual gambling sites are now members of the Swiss Casino Association.
Fister believes that the collaboration strengthened by all Swiss casinos joining the organization will be advantageous to the sector.
“I am thrilled that Swiss casinos have joined the association, and the entire casino sector can speak with a unified voice,” Fister stated.
Mark Baumann, a member of the Swiss Casinos board of directors, added: “The online business is constantly transforming the Swiss casino industry. We are pleased to collaborate with the Swiss Casino Association to shape the future.”
Revenue from physical locations is declining, but online revenue is increasing.
In 2023, revenue at Swiss land-based venues decreased slightly, but online casinos experienced a substantial year-over-year increase.
Last year, the total gross gaming revenue (GGR) of land-based venues was 623 million Swiss francs (£536 million/€629 million/$681.2 million). This was a 1.1% decrease from the previous year.
However, the GGR of the 10 online casinos totaled 286 million Swiss francs, an increase of 14.3% year-over-year. The Swiss Casino Association observed that the shift in popularity from land-based to online products is consistent with trends in other industries.
Casinos also paid 3% more taxes year-over-year, with the state receiving a contribution of 409.3 million Swiss francs in 2023. Swiss casinos have contributed over 8 billion Swiss francs in taxes over the past 20 years. The majority of this goes towards the country’s AHV pension system.
The Swiss lottery firm declared exceptional financial gains.
The Swiss lottery organization, Loterie Romande, revealed earlier this week that its net earnings for 2023 had risen to 5.1 million Swiss francs. The lottery organization also stated that it would be donating a record 243.7 million Swiss francs to charitable causes.
Despite a 3.4% reduction in total gambling income in 2023 to 420.7 million Swiss francs, the company’s profits rose. In 2022, the lottery organization established a record for total gambling income of 435.5 million Swiss francs.
Loterie Romande President Jean-René Fournier credited the profit increase to lower marketing and administrative expenses.
“This outcome is primarily due to the rigorous management of operational costs, the enhancement of digital products, and the diversification of our product selection with the introduction of the European lottery game EuroDreams in October 2023,” Fournier stated.
Sign up for the iGaming news bulletin.