Raffles and lotteries for a Swiss Christmas campaign

Raffle, small lottery or large-scale game: what applies to Swiss associations, which limits exist and why tickets sold online are not allowed.

In short A raffle with goods as prizes at an event, with ticket sales of at most 50,000 francs, is often exempt from a permit in Switzerland, but the cantons may be stricter. A small lottery needs a cantonal permit. Tickets sold online count as a large-scale game and need Gespa's permit. Clear everything with your canton 6 weeks ahead.

This article describes the rules in Switzerland.

Three routes, three sets of rules

The Geldspielgesetz (the federal gambling act) distinguishes by size and by sales channel. The raffle at an event, the small lottery and the large-scale game each have their own conditions. Which route suits your Christmas campaign depends on the prizes, the ticket total and where the tickets are sold.

This article is research, not legal advice. We read the Geldspielgesetz (BGS) and the Geldspielverordnung (VGS, the implementing ordinance) on 9 October 2026. We did not confirm whether they have been amended since the versions of September 2023 and January 2024. Check the current text before you print.

The raffle at an event: often without a permit

The law has an exemption for raffles. It covers small lotteries at an entertainment event in which only goods are drawn as prizes. Issuing the tickets, the draw and the handover of prizes must be directly connected to the event. The total of all stakes in a raffle may be at most 50,000 francs.

That fits the Advent bazaar, the Christmas market or the club evening. Typical is a table of donated prizes, a ticket for 2 francs and the draw the same evening. If you sell the tickets weeks ahead in other places, you leave the narrow scope of this exemption.

Careful: the cantons may be stricter

Article 41 BGS allows the cantons to set additional requirements or to ban small games altogether. In practice a cantonal regime therefore applies, even though the federal limit is 50,000 francs.

Here are two examples we read. In the canton of Fribourg, a raffle within the limit needs no permit, but must be reported to the Oberamt (the district prefecture). If it is partly sold outside the event, a permit is needed. In the canton of St.Gallen, raffles with only goods as prizes and a planned total of up to 50,000 francs are generally exempt from a permit. Raffles above that, and all small lotteries with cash prizes, still need one.

We did not check the rules of the other cantons. Ask the cantonal gambling supervisory authority, and do it before you print the tickets.

The small lottery: cantonal permit

If you draw cash prizes, sell tickets outside the event or exceed the raffle limit, we speak of a small lottery. You then need the permit of the cantonal supervisory and enforcement authority.

  • The organiser is a legal entity under Swiss law, so an association or a foundation. A foreign association does not meet this.
  • A ticket costs at most 10 francs, the total of all stakes at most 100,000 francs.
  • Winnings amount to at least 50 percent of the maximum stake total, and every tenth ticket wins.
  • The net proceeds go entirely to charitable purposes, and the prize plan is fixed beforehand.
  • At most two small lotteries per organiser per year.

For an event of supra-regional importance the limit is 500,000 francs. After the lottery ends you file a report within three months on how it went and how the proceeds were used.

Tickets on the internet: a large-scale game

A lottery run online or across cantons is no longer a small game but a large-scale game. That needs a permit from the intercantonal authority Gespa. Gespa itself writes that large lotteries in Switzerland are offered by Swisslos and the Loterie Romande.

The canton of St.Gallen expressly calls small games run online prohibited. So plan your raffle as an in-person event with paper tickets and cash at the stall. And do not put an online draw on the web in the style of "Donate and win". Ask Gespa whether that could still be allowed in a particular case.

Tickets are not donations

Anyone who buys a ticket receives a chance to win and so a consideration in return. We did not read an official source that says this expressly for tickets. Ask your canton's tax administration before you issue a donation receipt for ticket money.

The same goes for vouchers as prizes. Fribourg names shopping vouchers as permitted, while another note views them critically for the permit-free variant. Ask your canton.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

The raffle stays at the event, and the donation runs online alongside it. If your association is on WeGlow.world, you set up a donation page in three steps: amount, details, summary. Gifts can be one-off or monthly, and the page works on mobile. Start free with an account.

If you want to replace a chance to win, you can offer donors an experience. The Christmas experiences are a concept until the official launch. In the Starry Sky every gift becomes a star, and you fly from star to star. On the Card Wall every card hangs as a postage stamp on a string. Both are a donation, not a ticket.

Supporters can also start their own campaign page. Whoever staffs the raffle at the bazaar can collect donations at the same time. Say thank you with a text you store on the page. A thank-you after the event costs you 10 minutes and stays with people.

The schedule in 6 weeks

  1. Week 6: ask your canton whether a raffle is permit-free and whether a report is needed.
  2. Week 5: fix the event and place, calculate ticket total and price, apply for a permit if needed.
  3. Weeks 4 and 3: ask local businesses for goods as prizes.
  4. Week 2: print tickets, brief helpers, prepare the cash box.
  5. Week 1: set up the stall, and plan the draw and prize handover at the event.

You can read more about the overall planning in Weihnachtsaktion planen in der Schweiz. Ideas for the setting are in Weihnachtsaktion Ideen für Vereine in der Schweiz, and the digital part is described in Online Weihnachtsaktion in der Schweiz.

Frequently asked questions

The five questions associations in Switzerland ask most often before a raffle, with short answers and a note on where the canton has the last word.

Do I need a permit for the raffle?

Under the federal law often not, if only goods are drawn as prizes, the event is directly part of it and the ticket total is at most 50,000 francs. Cantons such as Fribourg do require a report or a permit. Ask your canton.

How much may a ticket cost in a small lottery?

At most 10 francs per ticket. The total of all stakes may not exceed 100,000 francs, or 500,000 francs for supra-regional events.

May I sell tickets online?

No, not as a small lottery. Tickets sold online count as a large-scale game and need a permit from Gespa. Plan the raffle in person.

How many lotteries may my association run per year?

At most two small lotteries per organiser per year. The rule applies to small lotteries that need a permit, not to the narrow raffle exemption.

Can a foreign association run a small lottery in Switzerland?

The law requires a legal entity under Swiss law. A foreign association does not meet this. Ask the cantonal authority about the options.

Sources

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