A new representative survey by moneyland.ch shows how frequently residents of Switzerland gamble. Two games of chance stand out as the country’s all-time gambling favorites: One third of the 1500 survey participants say that they regularly play the lottery. For the purpose of the study, the term “regularly” covers people who participate in lotteries anywhere from multiple times per year to weekly (see methodology). Raffles are the second most popular form of gambling, with 26 percent buying raffle tickets regularly.
As a whole, Swiss shy away from gambling. Engagement in gaming activities other than lotteries and raffles is low. Around 90 percent of participants rarely or never game for money. This is true for casino visits, online poker, and online betting, as well as for risky speculation on the stock market.
This is how frequently Swiss gamble with real money
| How often do you gamble? |
Rarely/never |
Regularly |
Daily |
| Lotteries |
64% |
33% |
1% |
| Raffles (Glückslos) |
70% |
26% |
1% |
| Risky stock market speculation |
87% |
6% |
2% |
| Betting on board games |
88% |
7% |
1% |
| Sports betting (general) |
88% |
7% |
1% |
| Bingo |
89% |
7% |
1% |
| Online betting (general) |
89% |
6% |
1% |
| Jass games |
90% |
5% |
1% |
| Slot machines |
90% |
5% |
1% |
| Casinos (physical) |
90% |
5% |
1% |
| Online casinos |
90% |
5% |
1% |
| Poker with friends |
91% |
4% |
1% |
| Bets with friends |
91% |
4% |
1% |
| Toto (betting pools) |
91% |
4% |
1% |
| Online poker |
92% |
3% |
1% |
| Online gambling (general) |
92% |
3% |
1% |
| Smartphone gambling (general) |
92% |
3% |
1% |
Hardly anyone in Switzerland gambles on a daily basis, as the survey results show. “Switzerland is not a nation of gamblers,” concludes analyst Raphael Knecht. Still, more than half of participants – around 52 percent to be more precise – do engage in at least one of the listed gambling activities at least several times per year.
Young adults more likely to try multiple forms of gambling
The survey gives interesting insights into how age affects gambling activities. “Whether it is making bets with friends or visiting casinos, young adults or generally more likely to use a variety of activities when it comes to games of chance,” observes Knecht.
Over 10 percent of participants between the ages of 18 and 25 regularly gamble using sports betting, online betting, board games, slot machines, bets with friends, and at physical casinos. The popularity of raffles and lotteries among young adults, on the other hand, is lower than average.
Gambling habits of residents aged 18 to 25 years old
| How often do you gamble? |
Rarely/never |
Regularly |
Daily |
| Lotteries |
84% |
11% |
2% |
| Raffles (Glückslos) |
78% |
18% |
1% |
| Risky stock market speculation |
87% |
5% |
2% |
| Betting on board games |
84% |
12% |
2% |
| Sports betting (general) |
80% |
15% |
2% |
| Bingo |
92% |
4% |
1% |
| Online betting (general) |
82% |
13% |
2% |
| Jass games |
92% |
6% |
0% |
| Slot machines |
87% |
11% |
1% |
| Casinos (physical) |
85% |
11% |
1% |
| Online casinos |
87% |
8% |
1% |
| Poker with friends |
90% |
6% |
1% |
| Bets with friends |
85% |
11% |
2% |
| Toto (betting pools) |
91% |
2% |
1% |
| Online poker |
93% |
2% |
1% |
| Online gambling (general) |
90% |
4% |
1% |
| Smartphone gambling (general) |
91% |
3% |
1% |
Regular participation in these gambling activities is much lower in other age groups, as well as the average for all age groups, primarily falling under 10 percent. But older adults are more likely to play the lottery. 43 percent of adults aged 50 to 74 say that they regularly buy lottery tickets. Only 54 percent of adults in that age group rarely or never participate in lotteries.
By comparison, across all age groups combined, only 33 percent of Swiss regularly play the lottery, and 64 percent rarely or never buy lottery tickets. Of adults younger than 25, a high 84 percent never play lotteries.
Men are more likely to gamble
Gambling with money is notably more popular among men than women. In addition to lotteries (39 percent) and raffles (26 percent), Swiss men also make use of sports betting (12 percent), online betting, and risky speculation on the stock market (both 10 percent). Only around one quarter of women regularly buy lottery or raffle tickets. “The results show that men tend to have a higher risk tolerance than women,” says Knecht.
Gambling is popular among the wealthy
People who have a lot of wealth engage in gambling more frequently. Residents who have between 500,000 and 1 million Swiss francs, in particular, are more likely to gamble regularly. While raffles are less popular in this group, the wealthy buy lottery tickets more frequently and are more likely to risk money on speculative stock market investments.
Gambling habits of residents with between 500,000 and 1 million francs of wealth
| How often do you gamble? |
Rarely/never |
Regularly |
Daily |
| Lotteries |
54% |
38% |
6% |
| Raffles (Glückslos) |
70% |
21% |
6% |
| Risky stock market speculation |
75% |
21% |
3% |
| Betting on board games |
76% |
17% |
3% |
| Sports betting (general) |
78% |
11% |
8% |
| Bingo |
81% |
14% |
0% |
| Online betting (general) |
81% |
13% |
2% |
| Jass games |
83% |
13% |
2% |
| Slot machines |
83% |
13% |
3% |
| Casinos (physical) |
84% |
8% |
5% |
| Online casinos |
81% |
10% |
5% |
| Poker with friends |
79% |
13% |
5% |
| Bets with friends |
83% |
10% |
5% |
| Toto (betting pools) |
81% |
8% |
8% |
| Online poker |
81% |
11% |
2% |
| Online gambling (general) |
83% |
10% |
5% |
| Smartphone gambling (general) |
84% |
10% |
2% |
17 percent of residents with between 500,000 and 1 million francs also say that they regularly bet on board games, while 8 percent (each) use toto and sports betting on a daily basis. “In this wealth bracket, money flows somewhat more freely when it comes to gambling,” notes Knecht.
Raffles more popular in French-speaking Switzerland
A look across Switzerland’s linguistic divide shows that residents of French-speaking Switzerland gamble slightly more frequently than those of German-speaking Switzerland. Here too, lotteries and raffles dominate. Raffle tickets, in particular, are significantly more popular in western part of the country (36 percent) than in the German-speaking region (22 percent).
Residents of French-speaking Switzerland are also more likely to bet on board games (15 percent, compared to just 4 percent in German-speaking Switzerland).
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