Renewal and continuity for Loterie Romande
Some 3,000 charitable foundations and institutions benefited from Loterie Romande support in 2012. On average, more than 500,000 francs a day were distributed to charitable, cultural and sporting organizations in French-speaking Switzerland.
Since January 1, 2013, withholding tax has only been levied on lottery and sports betting winnings in excess of CHF 1,000. This increase in the tax threshold makes lottery and betting games more attractive, as evidenced by sales figures for the first few months of the year. The reduction in costs associated with the administration of the withholding tax will directly benefit the non-profit institutions supported by Loterie Romande. The abolition of the 13% poverty tax in the canton of Geneva is having the same positive effect.
With the entry into force of the new article 106 of the Federal Constitution, generated by the popular initiative "Pour des jeux d'argent au service du bien commun", the Loterie Romande is undergoing a genuine renewal. The new constitutional order confirms its raison d'être and its mission to serve the French-speaking community. Loterie Romande looks to the future with lucidity and determination. However, the legislation resulting from the new Article 106 is not due to come into force until 2018-2020. A transitional period, characterized by legal uncertainties, is therefore open.
