On June 22, 2022, the Swiss Federal Gaming Board (SFGB) published the annual activity report of 2021 and presented the latest figures related to casinos. The full annual report can be downloaded from the SFGB website. Here is an overview:
Economic key figures casino industry 2021
The gross income from terrestrial activities decreased to CHF 406 million due to pandemic-related closures, compared to CHF 452 million in 2020. The online gaming gross income, on the other hand, increased by 25 percent to CHF 234 million. In 2020, the online gaming gross income was only CHF 187 million.
In 2021, the amount of casino taxes for their land-based operations was a total of CHF 175 million. Compared to 2020, this represents a decrease in tax revenue of around 11.5 percent, which is equivalent to CHF 23 million. In contrast, tax earnings from the online sector increased by 27.7 percent to CHF 100 million.
In 2021, the AHV compensation fund received CHF 249 million, while CHF 26 million went to the location cantons of casinos with a B license. However, before the pandemic, these figures were significantly higher. For example in 2019, CHF 312 million were paid into the AHV compensation fund and CHF 51.8 million went to the location cantons.
Online Casinos
In 2021, Casino Basel and Casino Montreux received a license extension. As a result, a total of eleven Swiss casinos were able to offer online gaming by December 31, 2021.
Gambling Act Enforcement
Inspections were carried out in all land-based casinos in 2021, and online casinos were also systematically audited. The result were various measures being taken in the fight against illegal gambling. For example, the SFGB issued 160 criminal law judgements and conducted investigations in five major cases. In two of these cases, eleven house searches were carried out in a total of four cantons. Together with the cantonal police forces, five suspected centers for illegal gambling were dismantled.
New allocation casino licenses per 2025
As already reported here, the licenses and license extensions of the 21 Swiss casinos will expire on December 31, 2024. From June 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022, the new license applications can therefore be submitted to the SFGB for the attention of the Federal Council. Further information on the reallocation of casino licenses can be found here.
