Online sports betting for Bern

At the heart of every bet are the odds. In Switzerland and across Europe they are usually given as a decimal number, for example 1.85. The odds tell you two things: how the provider rates the probability of the outcome, and how high your possible payout will be.

The possible win is calculated simply as stake × odds – and this amount already includes your stake back. So if you stake CHF 20 at odds of 1.85, the possible payout is CHF 37.00 (of which CHF 17.00 is net profit). If your tip is wrong, the stake is lost.

From the odds you can derive the implied probability: 1 divided by the odds. Odds of 1.85 correspond to around 54 % (1 ÷ 1.85 ≈ 0.54). If you add up the implied probabilities of all the outcomes of a match, they come to more than 100 %. This surplus is the provider's margin (also called the overround) – the spread the bookmaker builds in for itself. That is precisely why, over the long run, the payout is skewed in the provider's favour.

The process of placing a bet is straightforward: you choose a sporting event, decide on a market (such as the winner, over/under or handicap), tip the outcome you expect, set your stake and confirm the bet slip. After that, the odds for that bet are usually fixed; the result is determined once the event has ended.

Sporttip is the online sports-betting offering from Swisslos and thus the responsible provider for German-speaking Switzerland – including Bern – and Ticino. Bets are placed in Swiss francs (CHF), and the offering covers both pre-match bets and live bets during ongoing events. As a large-scale-game provider licensed by GESPA, Sporttip is subject to Swiss player protection.

One point sets the legal Swiss providers fundamentally apart from foreign betting sites: part of the proceeds of Swisslos and Loterie Romande flows not to private owners but to charitable causes and to sports funding in the cantons. Anyone who bets via Sporttip therefore indirectly helps finance culture, social projects and sport in Switzerland – a genuine Swiss connection that blocked offshore bookmakers cannot offer.

In French-speaking Switzerland, Loterie Romande takes on the same role as a licensed large-scale-game provider. For Bern as part of German-speaking Switzerland, Sporttip from Swisslos is and remains the legal address for online sports betting.

Winnings from legal Swiss large-scale games – which include the sports betting of Swisslos (Sporttip) and Loterie Romande – are tax-free as a single win up to a threshold of approximately CHF 1 Million (as of 2026). Anything above this amount is taxable and must be declared in your tax return. This million-franc threshold applies to the large-scale games and differs from the exemption that applies to casino games (online casinos).

The situation is different with foreign providers: winnings from betting sites that are unlicensed and blocked in Switzerland are always fully taxable – regardless of the amount. This too is a practical reason to stick with the legal Swiss providers.

The amounts stated are guide values ("approximately") and may change; what is decisive are the applicable rules of your canton of residence. If in doubt, clarify tax questions with a tax adviser.