Switzerland’s Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority disclosed that cantons received approximately CHF773.4 million in distributions from the country’s two lottery operators in 2025. These funds will be used to support culture, sport, social projects, education, health and other charitable initiatives.
The figure represents a substantial increase from the CHF680.5 million distributed in 2024, highlighting the significant contribution generated by lotteries and sports betting to Switzerland’s non-profit sector.
Numbers come from GESPA’s annual report, which examines how lottery and sports betting profits were used by Swiss cantons and Liechtenstein in 2025. The report is intended to improve transparency around the use of gambling-generated funds, rather than directly supervise individual grants.
Culture and Sport Get the Largest Allocation
Switzerland’s Gambling Act states that cantons must use net profits from lotteries and sports betting for charitable purposes, mainly in sectors such as culture, social welfare and sport.
In 2025, total expenditure reported by the cantons reached CHF652.5 million, including grants and fund administration costs. The largest share was allocated to culture, which received CHF260.4 million, accounting for 40% of total expenditure.
Sport was the second-largest category with CHF169.3 million, or 26% of the total. An additional CHF52.3 million was allocated to protected cultural heritage, while social welfare received CHF50.1 million.
Other areas included environmental and development assistance, which got CHF34.8 million, education and research with CHF22.9 million, youth and education with CHF17.8 million, health and disability services with CHF11.3 million, and other charitable projects with CHF18.8 million.
The difference between the CHF773.4 million distributed during the year and the CHF652.5 million spent meant that additional reserves were built up. However, GESPA noted that there were considerable differences between individual cantons in terms of how much of their allocated funding was used.
Lottery Funds Build CHF1.46bn in Reserves
At the end of 2025, reserves across the 78 reported funds reached CHF1.4621 billion, which was up from CHF1.3255 billion a year earlier. The figure represented around 184% of the funds allocated by the lottery companies for 2025.
At the start of the year, the combined fund balance stood at CHF1.3235 billion. The gambling regulator noted the balance increased in 59 of the 78 funds during 2025, while 18 funds recorded a decline and one remained unchanged.
The number of funds also declined by four compared with the previous year. Thirteen cantons operated two funds, eight had three, while four cantons had more than three. One canton and Liechtenstein each had one.
The size of these reserves has become crucial for Switzerland’s lottery funding system. However, GESPA explained that the funds represent accumulated reserves and do not necessarily indicate money that is immediately available for new projects.
More Than 30,000 Grants Awarded
Overall, Swiss cantons reported 30,265 individual grants during 2025, which was an improvement from the 29,431 in 2024.
These figures represent grants awarded during the reporting year, regardless of when the money was paid. Cantons also provided information about the authorities responsible for awarding the funds, the maximum amounts they could approve and the internal controls applied to the distribution.
Most cantons performed their regular checks on a sample basis, while some conducted comprehensive reviews of individual funds. For example, Basel-Stadt was the only canton to report an extraordinary audit during the year, relating to one grant.
Importantly, no canton reported any non-compliance with the law after routine or extraordinary checks. There were also no cases in which grants had to be reversed because an audit identified a legal or other relevant issue.
According to GESPA, the reporting showed that most cantons were able to present the flow of funds indisputably.
Transparency Improves Despite Gaps
While the overall assessment was positive, GESPA identified several areas where transparency and reconciliation could still be improved.
It said unexplained discrepancies were mainly about differences between declared income and total expenditure, changes in fund balances and discrepancies between opening and closing balances from the previous reporting period. It also underlined notable differences between cantons in the administration costs charged to lottery-funded resources.
Those costs ranged from zero in cantons where administration was financed through the general state budget to more than CHF2 million in other cantons.
Nevertheless, the regulator concludes that the clarity of structures and processes around the use of gambling funds had improved in several cantons, with only a small number still showing indecisiveness.
The authority reiterated that responsibility for providing complete information lies with the respective cantons. The regulator does not have the authority or resources to directly intervene in individual funding decisions or comprehensively assess whether each grant complies with federal law.
Instead, the annual reporting system is designed to increase transparency and encourage compliant behaviour by making the flow of gambling-generated funds publicly visible.
CHF75m Distributed to Sport Across Switzerland
Beyond the cantonal funding system, the report also highlighted inter-cantonal distributions.
The Swiss Sport Promotion Foundation received CHF75 million from the two lottery companies during 2025. GESPA said the foundation provided the information required for its review and that the reported use of these funds was transparent and comprehensible.
Additional inter-cantonal distributions take place in western Switzerland, including funding allocated through regional bodies associated with Loterie Romande. These mechanisms support a range of projects and activities, including sport and horse racing.
Blocking More Illegal Websites
In the meantime, the Federal Gaming Board (ESBK), which oversees Swiss online casinos, recently announced that the number of unauthorised online gambling websites on its blacklist has risen to 3,567 domains. It’s yet another example of the ESBK looking over Swiss consumers, who are constantly targeted by offshore sites.
Swiss internet providers are required to block access to listed domains under the country’s gambling legislation. ESBK regularly updates the blacklist as offshore operators create new websites and alternative URLs to bypass existing blocks.
ESBK also warns that consumers playing on unlicensed sites do so at their own risk, as these operators do not provide the same player-protection and anti-money-laundering safeguards required of licensed companies.
