Swiss Casinos See Growth in Online Gambling, New Permits Granted
The Swiss government has determined to grant fresh permits for all gambling houses beginning in 2025.
This determination was declared on Wednesday (May 22nd) after a gathering with representatives of the Swiss gambling industry. The new arrangement will be effective for two decades, commencing next year, considering that current permits expire at the conclusion of 2024.
New gambling houses are authorized in Prilly and Winterthur, the latter substituting the existing gambling house in Schaffhausen, which did not submit a request for a permit.
Gerhard Pfister, leader of the Swiss Casino Association, believes that the new permits signify a significant event in Swiss gambling history.
“The granting of new concessions is a landmark. The federal government acknowledges that casinos today ensure secure and accountable operations and generate substantial economic advantages in their regions,” stated Pfister.
All Swiss casinos are now members of the association.
Moreover, the Swiss Casino Group locations in Zurich, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, and Pfäffikon have joined the Swiss Casino Association after unanimous consent. Winterthur will submit a membership application to the Swiss Casino Association after its inauguration.
This indicates that all twenty-one brick-and-mortar gambling establishments and ten internet-based casinos are now members of the Swiss Casino Association.
Fister believes that all Swiss casinos uniting to join the association will be advantageous to the industry.
“I am delighted that Swiss casinos have joined the association, the entire casino sector will be able to speak in unison,” stated Fister.
Mark Baumann, a member of the Swiss Casino Board of Directors, added: “Online business is constantly altering the Swiss casino industry. We are pleased to collaborate with the Swiss Casino Association to shape the future.”
Total income for land-based casinos has decreased, but total income for online casinos has risen.
In 2023, Swiss land-based casinos experienced a slight decrease in revenue, but online casinos saw a significant year-on-year increase.
Last year, total income for land-based casinos was 623 million Swiss francs (536 million pounds/629 million euros/681.2 million dollars). This was down 1.1% from the previous year.
However, total income for the ten online casinos reached 286 million Swiss francs, a year-on-year increase of 14.3%. The Swiss Casino Association noted that the shift in popularity from land-based casinos to online casinos is consistent with trends in other sectors.
Casinos also paid 3% more in taxes than the previous year, with the Swiss government receiving 409.3 million Swiss francs in taxes in 2023. Over the past two decades, Swiss casinos have paid over 8 billion Swiss francs in taxes. Most of this goes to the country’s AHV pension system.
A Swiss lottery organization declared extraordinary earnings this past week. The Swiss Romande Lottery enterprise reported that its net gains for the year 2023 climbed to 5.1 million Swiss francs. The lottery organization will also distribute a record-breaking 243.7 million Swiss francs to charitable causes.
Despite a 3.4% dip in overall income for 2023, reaching 420.7 million Swiss francs. In 2022, the lottery company established a record for total income at 435.5 million Swiss francs.
The chairman of the Romande Lottery Company, Jean-René Fournier, attributed the rise in profits to reduced marketing and administrative expenses.
“This outcome is primarily due to rigorous control of operational expenses, the improvement of digital offerings, and the expansion of our product range with the introduction of the European lottery game EuroDreams in October 2023,” Fournier stated.