In its 2025 assessment, Switzerland's Gespa acknowledged that nearly half of underage testers managed to place a sports bet at retail points of sale. Player protection measures at Swisslos and Loterie Romande work overall online, but gaps in age verification at physical outlets are serious. The assessment was published in November 2026 in the regulator's news section.
Gespa analyzes operators' annual reports on player protection measures and prepares an evaluation report based on them. Operators are required to submit these reports every year. Prospective operators of large-scale gambling activities must provide for thorough social protection measures and will be obliged to report to Gespa annually on their effectiveness.
The most sensitive part of the assessment is the test purchases. Gespa commissioned them, and Blue Cross Switzerland carried them out. According to the report, nearly half of the 200 underage test buyers managed to place a sports bet at a point of sale. Self-service terminals let bets through more often than staff behind the counter. Gespa is discussing technical measures with operators, including ID scanners for terminals.
Blue Cross considers the test purchases themselves limited: the sample covered only the cantons of Vaud and Zurich, the approach was targeted and not representative, so the findings cannot be extended to the whole network. Still, the test results will not lead to mandatory measures for lottery companies, as no binding requirements will follow from the check. Loterie Romande called the results unsatisfactory and promised to keep working on protecting minors, while Swisslos sees them as a reason to step up its efforts in this area.
The financial part of the assessment is separate. Swisslos and Loterie Romande together made a net profit of CHF 814 million in 2025 (about $1 billion at the Swiss National Bank rate on 3 November 2026). Swisslos profit fell 5.7% to CHF 562 million (about $690 million). Loterie Romande posted CHF 252 million, or about $310 million, down 2.3%.
Under Swiss gambling rules, cantons distribute lottery profits to public-interest projects, including sport.
