Switzerland’s Inter-Cantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa) has published the results of mystery shopping checks conducted to assess underage access to sports betting at land-based outlets operated by Loterie Romande and Swisslos. The results reveal significant shortcomings in youth protection measures.
Loterie Romande is the official lottery operator for French-speaking Switzerland, holding a monopoly on lotteries and certain types of sports betting in the region, while Swisslos serves as the equivalent operator for German-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland.
Underage mystery shoppers able to place bets in nearly half of checks
Last year, Gespa commissioned the Swiss Blue Cross and its member organisations to carry out these checks. In almost half of all cases, underage mystery shoppers were able to place a bet.
Gespa conducted 200 underage sports betting compliance checks, with 100 carried out at Loterie Romande sales outlets in French-speaking Switzerland and 100 at Swisslos sales outlets in German-speaking Switzerland. The checks were conducted in both rural and urban areas of the cantons of Vaud and Zurich.
In 47.5% of cases, underage participants were able to place a sports bet, while no age verification was carried out in 44.5% of all checks. In Zurich, 56% of the Swisslos outlets tested accepted sports bets from underage participants, compared with 39% of Loterie Romande outlets tested in the canton of Vaud.
Checks carried out at self-service betting terminals were more likely to result in a successful bet being placed, with a success rate of 66.7% compared with 44.5% for checks involving interaction with staff.
Publication delayed after legal challenge from lottery companies
Prior to publication, the lottery companies legally challenged Gespa’s right to publish the report, delaying its release by several weeks. The dispute attracted significant scrutiny, with both federal and regional lawmakers questioning the delay and demanding answers from the Federal Council.
Some elected officials also questioned whether the legal action was linked to the timing of major sporting events, including the Ice Hockey World Championship and the FIFA World Cup.
A legally binding decision has since confirmed that Gespa’s publication of the report was lawful.
Gespa says findings highlight need for stronger youth protection
Gespa noted that, due to the targeted, non-representative nature of the survey and its limited sample size, the results cannot be generalised. However, it stressed that the findings indicate that the current implementation of youth protection measures is not satisfactory.
Loterie Romande rejects link between legal action and sporting calendar
Loterie Romande has rejected suggestions that the legal proceedings were linked to the sporting calendar. The operator’s CEO, Jean-Luc Moner-Banet, previously stressed that the legal dispute concerned not the findings of the compliance checks themselves but the legal framework governing Gespa’s collection and intended publication of the information as part of its supervisory role.
Gespa recently reported that turnover from lotteries and sports betting fell 2.4% year-on-year to CHF 3.87bn ($4.84bn) in 2025, while GGR declined 3.7% to CHF 1.2bn
