Lottery money Aargau government does not want to increase sports share of lottery money

Three quarters of the money from the Swisslos fund in Aargau will continue to go to cultural projects. In its response to a question from parliament, the cantonal government rejects the idea of increasing the share for sport to a fixed third, but holds out the prospect of funds from the ordinary cantonal budget.

Neither the lottery company Swisslos nor the Federal Office of Sport made any specifications to the cantons regarding a distribution formula, wrote the Aargau government in its answer published on Friday. Three centrist councillors had asked in an interpellation whether the share of sport could be increased from a quarter to a third.

Swisslos' turnover has developed positively and with it the profit distribution to the canton of Aargau, as the government announced. From 2019 to 2024, the annual distribution increased from CHF 35 million to almost CHF 50 million. In addition, the share for sport had already been increased from 19 to 25 percent in 2019.

No need for action on distribution formula

The cantonal government wants to remain flexible in terms of distribution and sees no need for action to adjust the distribution formula. For the new sports law, which will come into force on January 1, 2026, the government is proposing that projects of particular cantonal interest could also be supported with money from the ordinary cantonal budget if there are not enough funds in the Swisslos sports fund.

Because the sports facilities from the 1960s and 1970s are in great need of renovation and the need for new sports facilities is increasing due to population growth, the number of applications for funding and the contributions granted have almost doubled since 2010.

The largest sports projects supported with lottery money in recent years include the Tägerhard sports facility in Wettingen with a total of CHF 8.75 million and the Aargau Gymnastics Center in Lenzburg with CHF 2 million.

SDA