Age verification falls short in physical sales in Switzerland

Switzerland's gambling regulator Gespa found that the player protection measures of two lottery operators, Swisslos and Loterie Romande, generally work well online. The regulator's 2025 review, however, highlighted gaps in age verification at physical sales points.

In mystery shopper tests commissioned by the regulator, nearly half of the 200 underage test customers were able to place sports bets at retail outlets. Self-service terminals were found to be less restrictive than transactions handled by staff. The regulator and operators are examining technical solutions, including ID scanning technology. Staff training, additional mystery shopper checks and advanced age verification tools have also been introduced.

In 2025, 24% of the total gross gaming revenue of the two operators came from online channels, and 76% came from physical channels. The average monthly net losses of active online customers remained largely stable compared with the previous year. Sports betting remained the highest-risk product category. Under Swisslos' Sporttip brand, average player losses in sports betting were at the highest level, and the share of customers losing more than CHF 2,000 (€2,170) per month was the largest.

Gespa said sports betting needs to be monitored closely. It stressed that features such as cash-out may encourage impulsive behavior and may give players a greater sense of control than they actually have. It was also noted that young sports bettors, who are mostly male, form a more vulnerable group.

Both operators have mandatory monthly loss limits. In 2025, 0.23% of Swisslos' customers subject to the CHF 2,000 limit (82 customers) reached this limit at least once. At Loterie Romande, the number was 160 people, or 1% of affected players. Temporary account closure was used by 0.57% of Swisslos' active online customers and 0.6% of Loterie Romande's.