History of gambling in Switzerland

1) Introduction: "precision" and "game"

The Swiss history of gambling is a pendulum between strict legal discipline and the resort country's need for entertainment for wealthy audiences. In different eras, salon games, moral campaigns against "gambling houses," state lotteries in the name of public goals and, finally, digital casinos under tight supervision coexisted here.

2) Early practices (XV-XVIII centuries)

Maps and bones come to Swiss cities along with European trade routes. Games - in taverns, officer clubs, private living rooms.

The cantons regulate in their own way: somewhere they tolerate, somewhere they introduce local bans, but there is no national line yet.

Games perform a social and charitable function: often the fees were directed to community needs - a tradition that later developed into a culture of "lotteries for the public good."

3) 19th century resort aesthetics

With the development of alpine resorts and balneological centers (Lucerne, Baden, Interlaken, Montreux, St. Moritz), game salons appear at hotels and meeting houses.

The public is European nobility, aristocracy, wealthy travelers. Casinos become part of the tourist image: music, balls, rounds and - cherry - roulette with baccarat.

The industry is growing, but causes public controversy: religious circles, teachers, early social reformers criticize "harmful hobbies."

4) Turn to prohibition: The 1874 Constitution

1874: in the new Federal Constitution, a strict ban on gambling houses at the national level appears.

The motivation is moral and social: the fight against fraud, the preservation of public order, the protection of the poor.

Resort "halls of fortune" are closed or mimic under clubs/entertainment halls without a roulette table - the era of "big" casinos is leaving.

5) Lotteries and sweepstakes: XX century "in the service of society"

Despite the ban on casinos, lotteries and bets receive a legalized niche, provided that the profit goes to socially useful goals (sports, culture, social projects).

In the interwar and postwar periods, structures are formed that have become symbols of two linguistic "halves" of the country:

Loterie Romande (French-speaking Switzerland, main. 1937), Swisslos (German and Italian-speaking cantons, origins - 1930s-1950s).
There are sports sweepstakes and national draws that finance mass sports and culture.

6) Casino restoration: the path to liberalization (1990s)

Towards the end of the 20th century, public consensus is changing: casinos are seen as a regulated industry with tax benefits and tourist effects.

1993: Constitutional revision paves the way for federally supervised modern casinos.

1998: Casino law is passed with a system of licenses (types A and B, differing in audience limits and profile).

Early 2000s: return of stationary casinos - Zurich, Basel, Baden, Lucerne, Interlaken, Lugano, Montreux, St. Moritz, etc. There is a modern RG infrastructure (self-exclusion, limits, monitoring).

7) Cultural plots and iconic sites

Montreux Casino is one of Europe's most celebrated stages: an event venue associated with jazz and rock culture history; the 1971 fire inspired Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water."

Casino Baden, Casino Luzern, Casino Zürich are examples of how Swiss venues combine architectural respectability and modern responsible play.

St. Moritz and Interlaken demonstrate the "resort formula": the game is as part of a complex of winter and summer tourism.

8) Money games in the digital age: the turn of the 2010s

By the mid-2010s, the need for a single "digital" rule was obvious: block-out of unlicensed sites, online player protection, transparent payments.

2019: The modern money gaming framework comes into effect, which:

recognizes online casinos, provided that the operator has a ground license and complies with the high standard of AML/KYC and RG;
fixes the blocking of illegal platforms, updates the competence of the federal casino regulator and cantonal authorities for lotteries/bets.
So Switzerland becomes one of the first in Europe to go through a consistent "ladder": a ban → offline restoration → legal online under strict supervision.

9) Balance of federation and cantons

The federal level is responsible for casinos and online casinos, uniform standards of honesty and consumer protection.

Cantons retain a key role in lotteries and wagering, channeling revenue into sports, culture and social projects.

The "double control" model creates a Swiss compromise: a variety of forms with high discipline.

10) Responsible play as a "Swiss standard"

Since the early 2000s, the following have been actively implemented: self-exclusion, deposit/time limits, mandatory vulnerability checks, trained RG teams.

Online - strict verification, behavioral analytics, proportional advertising codes.

The result is a high level of trust in licensed operators and a clear line between the "white" and "gray" markets.

11) Economy and tourism: "qualitatively, not massively"

Switzerland has never sought "Vegas scale." Her model is a boutique format with an emphasis on service, cooking, events, concerts and congress tourism (MICE).

Casino is one of the attractors in the chain "hotel → gastronomy → event → game," and not an end in itself.

The lottery sector consistently supports public goods, strengthening the social legitimacy of the entire industry.

12) Timeline of key milestones (brief)

XV-XVIII centuries - ubiquitous salon games, cantonal practices.

XIX century. - the dawn of resort halls (Lucerne, Montreux, Baden, etc.).

1874 - Constitutional ban on casinos.

1930s - the institutionalization of lotteries (Loterie Romande, then Swisslos).

1993 - Constitutional revision in favor of controlled casinos.

1998 - modern casino law, A/B licenses.

2000s - the opening of a new generation of land-based casinos.

2019 - legal online, blocking unlicensed sites, strengthening RG.

13) Heritage and modernity

Swiss gambling history is a format discipline. The country has come a long way from the salons of resort nobility to a regulated ecosystem, where every vertical - from lotteries to online casinos - is built into an understandable legal architecture with the priority of public benefit and player protection. Today's model is not about scale, but about the quality of performance, transparency and cultural suitability in the Swiss way of life.