Responsible Gaming
Responsible gaming, research and prevention: the partnership between USI and Swiss4Win 03.08.2026
Online gambling is one of the most sensitive sectors of digital development. The growth of the offering, the ease of access from mobile devices and the presence of unauthorised foreign operators are making player protection and the quality of prevention systems increasingly central issues.
In Switzerland, online gambling is permitted only within a regulated, authorised and supervised market. Authorised operators must comply with specific obligations concerning social protection, prevention, monitoring of gambling behaviour and player protection. By contrast, unauthorised platforms operate outside this system and do not offer the same guarantees in terms of player protection, supervision and integration into the Swiss prevention model.
The issue of responsible gambling, in fact, does not concern only the individual operator, but a broader ecosystem involving authorities, cantonal bodies, academia and prevention services.
It is within this context that the collaboration between USI – Università della Svizzera italiana and Swiss4Win, the Swiss online casino of Casinò di Lugano, takes place. The project aims to assess, through a scientific, data-based approach, the effectiveness of the social measures plan adopted by Swiss4Win in the area of responsible gambling.
The aim is to understand how monitoring and prevention tools are used in practice and to determine whether they can support the timely identification of situations of potential vulnerability, thereby helping to strengthen player protection strategies.
Swiss legislation requires casinos to adopt social measures and periodically assess their effectiveness. With this in mind, Swiss4Win has launched a collaboration with USI, recognising academic input as a fundamental added value for measuring and improving its social measures plan over time.
Through scientific data analysis, Swiss4Win can verify the effectiveness of the measures adopted and, where room for improvement emerges, adjust the criteria and tools used.
For Casinò di Lugano and Swiss4Win, operating within the regulated Swiss system means not only complying with the obligations established by legislation, but also actively contributing to their purpose: protecting players, preventing risks and promoting a transparent and controlled gambling environment.
The collaboration with USI therefore represents a further step in a process of continuous improvement, in which player protection is not regarded as a simple regulatory obligation, but as a process to be measured, analysed and strengthened over time.
As Serena Petrocchi, lecturer and researcher at USI, points out:
«At-risk gambling behaviours are a complex and dynamic phenomenon that can hardly be understood through individual indicators. The availability of behavioural data collected over time provides an opportunity to better study the factors associated with different gambling trajectories and to produce evidence that can help guide and improve prevention initiatives. Collaborations of this kind make it possible to bring research closer to real-world contexts, contributing to the development of scientific knowledge with potential practical implications for player protection.»
As Paolo Sanvido, CEO of Casinò di Lugano, points out:
“We are pleased to collaborate with USI on an issue as important as responsible gambling. For Swiss4Win and Casinò Lugano, player protection is a central element of how we operate within the regulated Swiss system. This project confirms the value of dialogue among authorised operators, academia and the local community, with the shared goal of promoting an increasingly informed, safe and responsible approach to gambling.”
In a market where unauthorised offerings still represent a significant challenge, the role of regulated operators is becoming increasingly important. Regulatory safeguards, supervision, monitoring, social protection and collaboration with scientific and local institutions are elements that distinguish the Swiss model from uncontrolled or unauthorised environments.
The collaboration between USI and Swiss4Win by Casinò Lugano confirms that player protection can also be strengthened through dialogue between scientific research and authorised operators. This approach helps develop increasingly effective prevention tools and promote a safe, transparent online gambling model focused on protecting the individual.
Further information
To learn more about the measures, tools and resources available to players, please visit the dedicated Swiss4Win Responsible Gaming section.
For updates, research projects and the latest news from Università della Svizzera italiana, please visit the USI News and Events section.
Responsible Gaming
Swiss4Win and Heart2Heart: a helpline for those who need someone to talk to 03.08.2026
In a world where everything moves quickly and digital technology amplifies opportunities as well as loneliness, listening has become a revolutionary act. This commitment to listening has led to the new collaboration between Swiss4Win by Casinò Lugano and Heart2Heart, the Swiss service available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to provide emotional support and human connection to anyone going through a difficult time.
For Swiss4Win, which has made Responsible Gaming an integral part of its identity, this alliance represents an important step: complementing informational and technical support with a human presence that is discreet, genuine and always ready to extend a helping hand.
A voice that does not judge, a presence that offers support
Heart2Heart 143 is much more than a number: it is a safe haven for anyone who feels alone, confused or overwhelmed by their emotions. It does not provide ready-made solutions, but offers something rare and valuable: time, a listening ear and understanding.
Every day, carefully trained volunteers answer hundreds of calls from across Switzerland, anonymously and confidentially. The reason for the call does not matter: whether it concerns psychological distress, relationship problems, anxiety, addiction or simply the need to talk, the answer is always the same: “I’m listening”.
An alliance for emotional health in the world of online gaming
Swiss4Win believes that gaming should be a conscious choice, never a mechanism for escape or compensation. However, people who turn to gaming in search of relief during a difficult time are often unaware of the risks involved. In these situations, emotional loneliness can intensify their distress.
The collaboration with Heart2Heart was created to recognise that need before it develops into a problem, offering users a safe space in which to express themselves without fear of being judged. Through this partnership, Swiss4Win is committed to:
- Increasing the visibility of the 143 number and the www.143.ch website on all pages dedicated to Responsible Gaming
- Including references to Heart2Heart in awareness communications
- Promoting a culture of listening and respect for vulnerability across its digital channels
Not only technical limits, but genuine care for people
In addition to the standard protection tools already available on the platform – such as deposit limits, self-exclusion and activity monitoring – Swiss4Win is strengthening its commitment by adding a fundamental element: immediate human and emotional support.
Sometimes, what a person truly needs is not a form or an option to select, but a friendly voice at the other end of the phone. A voice that says: “You’re not alone. Let’s talk about it”.
A culture of prevention that begins with respect
This collaboration also aims to challenge the stigma that still surrounds asking for help. Talking about your emotions, your limits and your distress is not a weakness: it is courage, awareness and the first step towards a healthy approach to gaming – and to life.
United by shared values, Heart2Heart and Swiss4Win are working to ensure that mental health and relational well-being become central themes in the promotion of Responsible Gaming. Providing control tools is not enough: it is necessary to create environments of trust where people feel accepted even when they make mistakes or lose their way.
An open line. Always.
When there is no space for words elsewhere, when the days become difficult and when people cannot find the courage to open up to friends or family, Heart2Heart is there. Ready to answer.
Through this alliance, Swiss4Win wants every user to know that they are not alone and that asking for help is an act of strength, not a source of shame.
Useful contacts
📍 Heart2Heart Switzerland – 143
Available 24/7, including public holidays
Free, anonymous and confidential
Official website: www.143.ch
Languages: Italian, French, German
📍 Swiss4Win – Casinò Lugano
Responsible Gaming: www.swiss4win.ch/en/responsible-gaming
Gaming can be a moment of lightness. But when it becomes a burden, talking helps.
Swiss4Win and Heart2Heart. Together, giving a voice to your well-being.
Responsible Gaming
SafeZone and Swiss4Win: A Partnership to Protect People’s Well-Being in Online Gaming 03.08.2026
Gaming has always been part of the human experience: an opportunity for entertainment, a moment of social interaction and an expression of freedom. However, like any form of freedom, it requires awareness, rules and tools to prevent it from becoming an addiction or a source of distress.
In the digital environment in which we live, online gambling has become increasingly accessible. This development brings new opportunities, but also new responsibilities. For this reason, Swiss4Win by Casinò Lugano has chosen to collaborate with SafeZone.ch, a Swiss online counselling service active in the prevention and treatment of addictions, promoted by Addiction Switzerland and supported by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
A shared commitment: protection and support
The mission that unites Swiss4Win and SafeZone is clear: to promote a healthy and balanced gaming experience that respects individuals and their personal circumstances. This means not only complying with responsible gaming regulations, but also adopting an ethical and inclusive approach that takes human vulnerability into account and promotes a culture of prevention.
This collaboration was established with the aim of providing practical tools and accessible resources to people who play, as well as to their family members, friends, healthcare professionals and anyone who may be directly or indirectly affected by gambling-related difficulties.
SafeZone: when anonymity becomes a valuable resource
SafeZone.ch is a national platform providing anonymous, free and professional counselling to anyone wishing to discuss an addiction – not only gambling addiction, but also issues involving alcohol, substances, digital media and much more. SafeZone’s strength lies in its discretion and accessibility: people can ask for help without revealing their identity, in a safe, supportive and non-judgemental environment.
Users can:
- Chat directly with specialised professionals
- Submit questions anonymously and receive personalised answers
- Book online counselling sessions
- Access an extensive network of support centres throughout the country
The platform is available in Italian, German and French and can be accessed from a computer, tablet or smartphone. This also enables people living in remote areas or experiencing mobility difficulties to receive qualified support.
Swiss4Win: protection and awareness tools
The collaboration with SafeZone forms part of Swiss4Win’s wider commitment to responsible gaming, an approach that goes beyond communication by offering practical tools:
- Setting limits on deposits, losses and playing time, which can be configured directly from the user profile
- Temporary or permanent self-exclusion, to provide protection during particularly difficult periods
- Monitoring personal gaming habits, to help users remain aware of their behaviour
- A dedicated Responsible Gaming section containing resources, frequently asked questions, links to support organisations and practical guidance
- Direct access to SafeZone, making it easier to take the first step towards requesting help
Through this partnership, Swiss4Win aims to promote a new gaming culture that places individuals, their well-being and their ability to make informed choices at its centre.
A network of care and prevention
SafeZone, together with its regional partners, serves as a bridge between the digital and social worlds. Every contact can mark the beginning of a journey, ranging from a simple request for information to therapeutic support. The platform works closely with regional counselling centres, psychologists, educators and social workers.
Swiss4Win recognises the value of this network and is committed to increasing its visibility, so that more people can find a source of support before a problem develops into an emergency.
Beyond gaming: an alliance for dignity
For Swiss4Win, promoting Responsible Gaming means taking care of the user experience in all its complexity: not only treating someone as a player, but also as an individual, a citizen and a person with their own story.
Thanks to the collaboration with SafeZone, this commitment now offers new possibilities. The aim is not to delegate the problem, but to address it together through an alliance between the public and private sectors, between technology and humanity, and between prevention and listening.
Because healthy gaming is free gaming
Gaming should always be a choice, never an escape. A moment of entertainment, not a compulsion. A passion, not a danger.
Swiss4Win and SafeZone work together to make this possible. Because truly responsible gaming leaves room for freedom, dignity and peace of mind.
Useful contacts
📍 SafeZone
Official website: www.safezone.ch
Free and anonymous online counselling service for addiction-related issues
Counselling via chat and email | Languages: Italian, French, German
📍 Swiss4Win – Casinò Lugano
Responsible Gaming: www.swiss4win.ch/en/responsible-gaming
Playing responsibly is the first step towards genuine enjoyment.
Swiss4Win and SafeZone. Together, for safer gaming.