Legal bets and sports bet in Switzerland 2025

Legal bets and sports bet in Switzerland 2025

Legal wetten in der Schweiz

Which betting operators are legal in Switzerland – and which are not!

Online sports betting is very popular in Switzerland… But is it really legal?

Since the introduction of the New Gambling Law on January 1, 2019, many customers have contacted us with difficulties in understanding what is allowed and which betting providers can still be legally used in Switzerland.

We have compiled the most important information for you.

Key points at a glance:

  • Swisslos with "Sporttip" and the Loterie Romande with "Jouez Sport" are currently the only legal betting providers allowed to offer sports betting in Switzerland.

Blocked sports betting providers

Since the introduction of the new Gambling Act in 2019, most foreign betting providers have withdrawn from the Swiss market. However, despite the new law, a few are still trying to deliberately and illegally attract Swiss customers to their websites and circumvent Swiss law.

A word of warning: if you gamble with foreign betting providers, there is no guarantee that they will actually pay out your winnings in the event of a dispute.

Aside from this, winnings from foreign bookmakers are not tax free and the tax-free allowance of CHF 1,070,400 does not apply – any winnings must be taxed in full as income.

For almost all providers, both the gambling licence and the place of jurisdiction are located abroad, usually in microstates, where Swiss customers have practically no legal options to take action against the betting providers if winnings are not paid out.

GESPA maintains an up-to-date list of the domains of blocked providers. You will find an overview of the most important ones here.

List of blocked sports betting providers

Provider Status Licence/registered officePlace of jurisdictionDo I have to pay tax on the winnings?
Bahigo Illegal Malta Malta Yes, all winnings are fully (with no tax-free allowance) taken into account for income tax purposes.
Bet365 Illegal Isle of ManIsle of ManYes, all winnings are fully (with no tax-free allowance) taken into account for income tax purposes.
Bwin Illegal Gibraltar Gibraltar Yes, all winnings are fully (with no tax-free allowance) taken into account for income tax purposes.
Tipico Illegal Malta Malta/Wiesbaden Yes, all winnings are fully (with no tax-free allowance) taken into account for income tax purposes.
Interwetten Illegal Malta Malta Yes, all winnings are fully (with no tax-free allowance) taken into account for income tax purposes.
Betathome Illegal Malta Malta Yes, all winnings are fully (with no tax-free allowance) taken into account for income tax purposes.
Unibet Illegal Malta Malta Yes, all winnings are fully (with no tax-free allowance) taken into account for income tax purposes.

Beware of comparison sites

The majority of all sports betting comparison websites on the Internet are unfortunately providing incorrect and incomplete information about legal sports bets in Switzerland, because many of these websites are created by blocked betting providers themselves or are at least sponsored by them.

You can normally click on “Publishing details” – usually found right at the bottom of the page – to recognize such websites. In any event, if the website has no publishing details at all, this website is not trustworthy.

Legal sports betting providers

According to GESPA’s website, only Loterie Romande (Jouez Sport) and Swisslos (Sporttip) are currently permitted to offer sports bets in Switzerland.

ProviderStatus Licence/registered officePlace of jurisdictionDo I have to pay tax on the winnings?
SporttipLegalSwitzerland, BaselSwitzerland Tax-free allowance of up to CHF 1,070,400: no withholding or income tax due.
Jouez SportLegalSwitzerland Switzerland Tax-free allowance of up to CHF 1,070,400: no withholding or income tax due

The two intercantonal betting providers offer you the best possible security for your account and the sports bets you place.

The scope of the bets offered by both providers was restricted by GESPA to protect players. To ensure that Swiss sports betters are not exposed to an increased risk of match fixing, it is not possible to bet on some smaller sporting competitions and lower leagues.

Bets can be placed legally on all major sporting events and leagues via Sporttip and Jouez Sport.

Register now

The whole world of sport in your hands. Create an account at swisslos.ch now and place bets whenever you want!

Click here and register today

New Gambling Act

The new Gambling Act (GamblA) and associated ordinances has applied in Switzerland since 1 January 2019. The new Gambling Act was passed to achieve four objectives:

  • The public should be adequately protected from the risks associated with gambling; this includes, in particular, the risk of excessive gambling.
  • Gambling should be conducted in a safe and transparent manner.
  • Net profit from lotteries and sports bets should be used wholly and transparently for charitable causes.
  • A portion of the gross gaming revenue from casinos is used for old-age, survivors’ and invalidity insurance.

Are sports bets legal in Switzerland?

YES

Sports bets are legal in Switzerland. However, they are only legal when using the two intercantonal betting providers Sporttip and Jouez Sport.

Please note that you can only use Sporttip if you reside in German-speaking Switzerland, Ticino and Liechtenstein, and only use Jouez Sport if you reside in French-speaking Switzerland (JU, NE, VD, VS, GE, FR).

Is Sporttip legal in Switzerland?

YES

You can legally play Sporttip in Switzerland. You have the following options:

To place a bet at a sales outlet, you no longer have to fill out a paper play slip. Simply prepare your bet in the Sporttip app or at sporttip.ch. After choosing your bets, you can create a QR code that you can use to place your bets at any sales outlet.

We recommend registering at swisslos.ch. By doing so, you benefit from being able to place bets at any time, which is especially advantageous for exciting live bets. In addition, at swisslos.ch you can set limits and thus better regulate your gaming behaviour.

Tax on winnings in Switzerland

Since 1 January 2019, winnings from lotteries and sports bets have been taxed as follows:

For providers who have a registered office in Switzerland (Sporttip and Jouez Sport), winnings of up to CHF 1,070,400 fall under the tax-free allowance. No withholding or income tax is due.

Winnings from foreign providers must be taxed in full, even if you participated in the game abroad.

Sporttip Live

Sporttip Live puts you right at the heart of the sports betting action! You can place exciting and attractive live bets whenever you want!

Click here and discover our wide variety of live bets now!

What happens to the net profit earned by sports betting providers?

The net profit earned by Swisslos and Sporttip is used entirely for charitable causes. The profits are distributed proportionately to the sports and lottery funds of the respective cantons and the canton itself decides which charitable projects it wishes to support via its cantonal funds.

A portion of the profits from Swisslos are used directly to promote Swiss sports via the Sportförderung Schweiz (Swiss Sports Promotion) Foundation. By placing sports bets at Sporttip, you are supporting promising talented athletes in football, ice hockey, skiing and many other sports and enabling numerous amateur clubs to operate sports and promote young talent.

In 2023 alone, Swisslos was able to provide over 176 million francs to support Swiss sport.

When it comes to foreign betting providers, you do not know what happens to the net profit from your bets. Most of the time it is used to increase the profits of the owners of the respective betting company.

FAQ

What is the minimum age for sports bets?

The minimum age for sports bets in Switzerland is 18.

Why does Sporttip not offer all bets and leagues like foreign betting providers?

To ensure that Swiss players do not run the risk of becoming victims of match fixing and to prevent money laundering through sports betting, the betting offer has been restricted by the Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority GESPA. As such, Sporttip is not permitted to offer certain sports bets and sporting events.

However, all major leagues and major sporting events can be played legally.

Are foreign betting providers legal in Switzerland?

No, foreign betting providers are blocked in Switzerland. Only Sporttip and Jouez Sport are permitted to offer legal bets in Switzerland.

Is Bahigo legal in Switzerland?

No, Bahigo is blocked in Switzerland by GESPA and is not legally permitted to offer bets in Switzerland.

Is Bwin legal in Switzerland?

No, Bwin is blocked in Switzerland by GESPA and is not legally permitted to offer bets in Switzerland.

Is Bet365 legal in Switzerland?

No, Bet365 is blocked in Switzerland by GESPA and is not legally permitted to offer bets in Switzerland.

Is Sporttip legal in Switzerland?

Yes, you can legally place bets in Switzerland with Sporttip.

How can I place bets legally in Switzerland?

By using the two intercantonal providers Sporttip and Jouez Sport:

  • Sporttip offers legal bets for German-speaking Switzerland, Ticino and Liechtenstein. Place bets with Sporttip via your Swisslos account directly online at sporttip.ch, through the Sporttip app, or by QR code at over 4,000 sales outlets.
  • Jouez Sport offers legal bets in the French-speaking cantons.

Register now at swisslos.ch and place attractive sports bets with Sporttip whenever you want!