Swiss Casinos majority transferred to charitable foundation
Swiss entrepreneur Hans-Ulrich “Jöggi” Rihs has donated a controlling interest in Swiss Casinos Holding to the charitable Jöggi Rihs Foundation. The ownership restructuring, announced on November 9, transfers a majority of the casino group’s shares into the Bern-based organization established earlier this year.
Rihs previously owned 96.45% of Swiss Casinos. The remaining 3.55% belonged to minority shareholders, including current and former members of the board and group management. The announcement describes a donation of two-thirds of the company’s shares, making the foundation its new majority shareholder.
According to the company announcement reported by Keystone-SDA, the arrangement is intended to provide continuity, stability and an independent ownership structure supporting the group’s long-term development. Swiss Casinos operates land-based venues in Zurich, Pfäffikon, St. Gallen and Winterthur, alongside its online casino, swisscasinos.ch.
The foundation’s purposes include supporting financially disadvantaged people with hearing, visual and other impairments, as well as people with incurable illnesses. Its funding can cover education, further training, retraining, infrastructure and care personnel. Its registered objectives also encompass support for qualifying institutions working with these groups.
Foundation ownership follows changes across the group
The foundation’s remit extends to other social initiatives, the Ruedi Lüthy Foundation and youth development in individual and team sports. Its published purposes specify that it operates on a charitable basis, with its income and capital dedicated to those objectives. It can undertake activities both within Switzerland and internationally in pursuit of its mission.
The ownership change follows a year of operational restructuring for Swiss Casinos. In its official 2025 results announcement, published on July 9, the group reported gross revenue of CHF207.1 million and group profit of CHF12.6 million. Casino levies totaled CHF91.1 million, including CHF85.6 million benefiting Switzerland’s old-age and survivors’ insurance system.
The company identified the opening of Swiss Casino Winterthur and the closure of Schaffhausen as major changes during 2025. Winterthur’s venue combines casino operations with the publicly accessible LOK Bar & Lounge and KOPFBAU event space. Swiss Casinos said more than 90% of employees from the former Schaffhausen operation continued their careers within the group.
Online casino operations also remained an important part of the business, generating CHF76.2 million in revenue during 2025. The group’s annual announcement highlighted ReelLink, its internally developed technology connecting online content with physical gaming machines, among its ongoing projects. These operations now form part of the business controlled by the charitable foundation
