Lotteries in Switzerland: A Practical Guide

Lotteries and raffles are popular in Switzerland, with around one-third of residents regularly playing the lottery. 

The odds of winning a lottery are miniscule, so playing the lottery should never be considered anything but a game, and spending on lottery tickets should come from your entertainment budget (like books, cinema tickets, or computer games, for example).

In this guide, moneyland.ch answers the most important questions about playing the lottery in Switzerland.

How many Swiss lotteries are there?

There are just two major Swiss lottery operators which are licensed to sell tickets in multiple cantons: Swisslos is licensed to run lotteries in German-, Italian-, and Romansch-speaking cantons and Liechtenstein, while Loterie Romande has the license for French-speaking cantons. Both of these operators share a common lottery pool for the Swiss national lottery. This national lottery is called Swiss Lotto (Swisslos) or Swiss Loto (Loterie Romande). In addition to the national lottery, both of these companies also have other lottery, raffle, and scratch card offers.

In addition to the big, ongoing lotteries, small lottery games are occasionally organized by non-profit organizations – generally on a local level in a specific canton or region.

Can I play Euromillions in Switzerland?

Yes. You can buy Euromillions tickets at the same stores which sell Swiss national lottery tickets, and on the Loterie Romande and Swisslos websites. In Switzerland, the Euromillions lottery is managed by Swisslos and Loterie Romande. Euromillions lottery tickets are sold in 10 European countries, and the lottery has just one pool for all participants.

Tickets for Eurojackpot, the second-largest international European lottery, are not sold in Switzerland.

Lotteries available in all of Switzerland

Tickets for Euromillions and Swiss Lotto, and their supplementary Joker and Super-Star lotteries, are sold by both Loterie Romande and Swisslos, and are available across Switzerland.

Lotteries available only in French-speaking cantons

These lotteries are only offered by Loterie Romande, so tickets are only sold in French-speaking cantons. All of these have a ticket price of 2 Swiss francs.

Lotteries available only in other cantons

The following lottery is only offered by Swisslos, and is not available in French-speaking cantons. The ticket price is 2 francs.

How can I buy lottery tickets in Switzerland?

Lottery tickets for Swiss Lotto and Euromillions are sold at most kiosks (including all K Kiosks and the kiosks in Coop supermarkets). You can also buy them at Coop Pronto and Migrolino convenience stores, and at many other shops across Switzerland. Tickets for other games of luck are only sold in either the French-speaking cantons (Loterie Romande games) or the German-, Italian-, and Romansch-speaking cantons (Swisslos games).

You can also buy lottery tickets directly on the websites of Loterie Romande and Swisslos. Residents of the six French-speaking cantons can only set up online accounts with Loterie Romande, and residents of other Swiss cantons and Liechtenstein can only open a Swisslos online account. A practical feature of online lottery accounts is that you can choose to subscribe to a lottery plan. In this case, lottery tickets are bought automatically at regular intervals (with randomly-selected numbers). Online accounts can be funded by credit card, debit card, deposit slip (QR-bill), or Twint.

You have to be at least 18 years old in order to purchase lottery tickets.

Can I play Swiss lotteries using mobile apps?

Yes. Loterie Romande has an app with which you can play the Euromillions, Swiss Lotto, and Loto Express lotteries, and the Tribolo scratch card game. Swisslos has separate mobile apps for Euromillions and Swiss Lotto.

Where can I find the winning numbers?

You can check whether or not you have a winning ticket at stores which sell lottery tickets. It is a good idea to take back your ticket after having it checked, just in case errors occurred in the checking process.

You can also find the results on the websites of both Swiss lottery operators. Additionally, Swiss Lotto draws are aired on the RSI 1, RTS 1 and SRF 1 television channels.

How do I redeem winning lottery tickets in Switzerland?

Small winnings (up to 1000 francs) can be paid out directly to you in cash at the kiosk or other lottery partner when you redeem a winning ticket. If you win an amount above 1000 francs, you have to submit your lottery ticket to Loterie Romande or Swisslos along with your name, address, and bank account information. Make sure to send this as a registered letter with a tracking number for security.

If you pay the lottery online, money you win is credited to your online account automatically. Winnings above 1000 francs are automatically transferred to your Swiss bank account. If you have not added your bank account information to your online Swisslos or Loterie Romande account, you will have to log into your account and provide this information in order to collect your winnings.

Can I play foreign lotteries as a resident of Switzerland?

Foreign lotteries are not allowed to sell tickets in Switzerland – either physically or online. Many reputable foreign lotteries and lottery ticket dealers do not let residents of Switzerland open online accounts.

But when you actually travel to a different country, the laws of that country apply. That means you can buy and redeem lottery tickets in other countries in keeping with local laws and the rules of the foreign lottery.

Can I play Swiss lotteries as a non-resident?

Yes. Non-residents can buy and redeem physical lottery tickets in Switzerland. Depending on the laws of the country in which you live, you may also be able to buy Swiss lottery tickets online from third-party online dealers. In this case, it is important to buy from reputable online dealers only.

Are Swiss lotteries safe?

Both Loterie Romande and Swisslos are audited by Gespa, the inter-cantonal supervisory authority for games of luck. For lotteries run by Loterie Romande and Swisslos, there is no risk of not getting your winnings paid out.

Small-scale lotteries are regulated on a cantonal level, rather than by Gespa. Most cantons require a license. For a lottery to qualify as small-scale, the value of all stakes combined must total less than 50,000 francs, and tickets can only be sold in one canton. Tickets for small-scale lotteries cannot be sold online.

Do I have to tax lottery winnings?

In Switzerland, lottery winnings from Loterie Romande and Swisslos are free from income tax, up to a threshold of 1,056,600 francs. If you win more than that, the amount exceeding 1,056,600 francs is taxable income, and is subject to federal, cantonal, and municipal income taxes.

When you win over 1,056,600 francs, the lottery company deducts 35 percent of the taxable portion as a withholding tax. You can claim reimbursement of this withholding tax from your cantonal tax office. If you are a non-resident, you can apply for reimbursement at the Swiss Federal Tax Administration.

You can claim a tax deduction equal to 5 percent of lottery winnings, up to a maximum deduction of 5000 francs. This deduction is meant to compensate for your spending on lottery tickets.

Winnings from foreign lotteries do not benefit from the 1,056,600-franc tax exemption. The full amount you win counts towards your taxable income.

If you win a small, local Swiss lottery which is not organized by Loterie Romande or Swisslos, the winnings are exempted from income tax. For lotteries run by companies or other entities for marketing purposes, winnings (including those paid out in goods or services) are tax-exempt up to a value of 1100 francs.

What happens to profits earned by Swiss lotteries?

Loterie Romande and Swisslos are both non-profit companies. Profits are distributed to cantonal lottery funds, which support sports, culture, and charitable activities in their corresponding cantons.

Are there other games of luck in Switzerland?

Each of the two big lottery companies sells many different scratch card games. The popular Adventslos scratch card sold over the holiday season is one example. Totalizator sports betting (popularly known as Toto in Switzerland) is also offered exclusively by Loterie Romande and Swisslos.

The SRF-Tippspiel games are organized by Switzerland’s German-language public television broadcaster SRG. These sports betting games reward the winner with a prize (tickets to a major football match, for example) instead of money.

Switzerland also has a number of licensed, regulated casinos which operate both physical and online gaming platforms. Foreign online casinos are not allowed to offer services in Switzerland.

Where can I get help with gaming addictions?

If you find yourself overspending your lottery budget or getting obsessed with the hope of winning, then you may have a gaming addiction. You can get help from SOS-Spielsucht (German-speaking Switzerland) or SOS-jeu (French-speaking Switzerland).

More on this topic:
A guide to tipping in Switzerland
Easy ways to save money on restaurant dining
Credit card fees for casino, lottery, and betting payments explained
How to save money on video gaming in Switzerland
How to watch TV for free in Switzerland

Image: © Swisslos