Swiss cantons and the Principality of Liechtenstein have launched a new responsible gambling initiative called “Game-Changer” ahead of major sporting events, including the Ice Hockey World Championship and the football World Cup.
The initiative is designed to highlight existing counselling and prevention resources and encourage greater use of support services, which authorities say are currently underutilised. The campaign places a special focus on online casinos and sports betting.
Campaign organisers say “Game-Changer” uses the visual language of the gambling industry to reach players more effectively. Addiction Switzerland, an independent non-profit foundation, is behind the campaign.
As part of the campaign, Addiction Switzerland has published the first part of a new study on the betting behaviour of young people aged 15 to 29.
This group, mainly young men, are the primary users of sports betting. Among around 2,000 respondents, half reported seeing gambling advertising often or very often. At the same time, around 40% said they had never been informed about the risks associated with sports betting.
Full results on problematic gambling behaviour will be published in the second phase of the study in autumn 2026. The organisation also reports that more than 18,000 self-exclusions were issued in 2024.
Addiction Switzerland says help is available through free and anonymous counselling services, both online and via telephone, as well as regional support centres.
In separate news from Switzerland, Casino Davos was last month ordered to pay a fine of CHF 970,000 ($1.2m) after technical failures allowed self-excluded players to access its online gambling platform, with the Swiss Federal Administrative Court rejecting the operator’s appeal.
March reports suggest that Swiss operators Loterie Romande and Swisslos may have deliberately delayed publishing last year’s test purchase results, which involved minors attempting to place sports bets
