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New study on gambling behavior in Switzerland

  • Writer: Schweizer Casinoverband
    Schweizer Casinoverband
  • Jan 2
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 8

Information ESBK dated 31.10.2024



Bern, October 31, 2024 - The Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) and the Intercantonal Gaming Authority (Gespa) commissioned a study of gambling behavior in Switzerland. 18,345 people were surveyed. According to the study results, 63.7% of the people surveyed in 2022 have already participated in gambling. Swiss lottery games are particularly popular. The majority of those surveyed played with a low frequency and with stakes of less than 10 francs per month. Statements about a change in the problem burden caused by gambling since the last survey in 2017 can only be made to a limited extent.


On behalf of the Swiss gambling authorities Gespa and ESBK, the Swiss Institute for Addiction and Health Research (ISGF) has evaluated data on gambling behavior for 2022 in Switzerland. The data comes from the Swiss Health Survey 2022 of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Online casinos have been permitted in Switzerland since 2019; foreign websites offering gambling are blocked. In order to record the associated changes in gambling behavior compared to 2017, the FSO asked for the first time about the type of game "online games from Swiss casinos" in the survey.


gaming habits in Switzerland

Of the total of 18,345 survey participants, 63.7% stated that they had already taken part in a gambling game at least once in their lives. Just under half of the participants, or 44.5%, stated that they had played gambling games in 2022. In 2017, the figure was 55.0%.

The most frequently played games in Switzerland in 2022 were Swiss lottery games (39.4%), followed by other money games such as tombolas or private games (7.0%), table games (6.2%) and slot machines (4.5%) in Swiss casinos, Swiss sports betting (4.1%), arcades/casinos abroad (2.7%), Swiss online casinos (2.0%) and money games at international online providers (0.8%).

Participation in online games with foreign providers fell from 2.3% (2017) to 0.8% (2022), while the share with Swiss providers debuted at 2.0% in 2022. However, the share of online gamers overall (i.e. with Swiss, foreign or both providers) has remained almost the same (2022: 2.4%, 2017: 2.3%).


Modest missions

The proportion of so-called frequent gamblers, i.e. people who play at least one type of gambling game every month, shows a downward trend (2017: 16.4%; 2022: 14.5%). In 2022, too, the majority of gamblers only invested small amounts in gambling: 47.8% said they spent less than 10 francs per month on gambling, 37.0% between 10 and 99 francs.


Risky and pathological gambling behavior

Of the types of gaming surveyed, higher rates of risky or pathological gamblers were found in particular in “online gaming at Swiss casinos” (37.6%), “gaming at international online providers” (35.2%), “gaming on machines or slot machines at Swiss casinos” (23.2%) and “sports betting at Swiss lottery companies” (21.6%) than in the other types of gaming.

The lifetime prevalence of risky (2022: 5.8%; 2017; 5.7%) and pathological (2022: 0.8%, 2017: 0.6%) gambling behavior remained largely unchanged between 2017 and 2022. A direct comparison of the results regarding the 12-month prevalence of risky and pathological gambling behavior from 2022 with 2017 is not possible due to methodological limitations and the corona-related peculiarities in the survey period.

Compared to European countries, Switzerland's results regarding the proportion of people with risky and pathological gambling behaviour continue to be in the medium to low range.


Protecting the population is the focus of attention

The results on online gaming behavior suggest that the legalization of online gaming in Switzerland in 2019 encouraged a large proportion of online gamers to play on approved Swiss online gaming platforms.

The risk for players of developing risky and pathological gambling behavior is higher with online games and slot machines than with other types of games offered by Swiss casinos. The report also provides information on which population groups are particularly vulnerable.

In its supervisory activities, the ESBK, as the supervisory authority for casinos, focuses on ensuring that casinos implement the protective measures prescribed by law quickly and effectively with regard to at-risk players.


Further information and full study (available in GE/FR/IT).


Summary of the study:


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