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(Jamma) Swiss casino turnover fell by 8.2% last year to CHF 757 million. Taxes amounted to 372 million, mainly flowing into AVS. Since the opening of the casinos in 2002, therefore, 4.4 billion francs have been paid out. The legislator has to rethink the original objectives: the Swiss should play in controlled and supervised Swiss casinos and not use foreign offers, without any control. Only in this way will it be possible to generate tax revenues for the OASI and the cantons, for culture and sport.
“For the Swiss casino branch – writes the Swiss casino federation – 2012 was characterized by a continuous decrease in turnover (gross gaming product) and by the inauguration of two new casinos in Neuchâtel and Zurich. With the current 21 casinos, the Swiss market is definitely saturated. The two new casinos cause crowding out effects. Despite the opening of two new casinos, in 2012 the overall turnover of the casino branch decreased by 8.2% compared to the previous year. In 2012, no casino managed to achieve the previous year's turnover. In 2012, Swiss casinos paid 372 million taxes to the public body (318 million to the AVS and 54 million to the cantons), compared with 419 million in the previous year. Since the opening of the first casinos in 2002, a total of 4,4 billion in taxes have been paid, mainly flowing into the AVS coffers.
This decline is essentially attributable to the decreased frequency of guests: in recent years, near the Swiss borders, in France, Germany and Italy, as well as – also from abroad – new interesting gambling offers have emerged on the internet, which are not subject to regulation as strict as that of Swiss casinos. The strength of the franc and the smoking bans also contribute to the decline in turnover.
In future, the legislator will have to focus again on the original objectives, which were decisive for the opening of the casinos: the Swiss should play in Swiss casinos, controlled and supervised, and not use foreign offers, without any control. In this way the related taxes will remain in Switzerland. The Confederation is currently preparing a draft for a new Gambling Act. The Swiss Casino Federation requests that this does not lead to negative effects for the industry, which would lead guests to make even more use of illegal or foreign gaming offers. The legal conditions must guarantee Swiss casinos a competitive framework capable of generating adequate tax revenues for the AVS and the Cantons, for culture and sport”.
