Austria online gambling reforms put to consultation
Stakeholders have two weeks to comment on the proposed rules for a liberalised Austrian online gambling market.
Austria.- The legislative proposals for the liberalisation of online gambling in Austria have moved into the public consultation stage. Stakeholders have until just July 15 to submit feedback on the proposed framework, which the coalition government aims to implement in time for a market launch in October 2027.
The draft licensing conditions would mark the most significant regulatory overhaul for gambling in Austria in more than two decades. According to the consultation paper, any operator meeting the criteria may apply for a licence, provided they maintain a supervisory board, comply with anti‑money laundering and player protection rules, and hold a minimum share capital of €10m.
That capital threshold appears to suggest that Austria wants to attract only large operators. Finland, which is also in the process of ending its state monopoly over online gambling, has no fixed minimum, instead granting permissions on a case-by-case basis.
The proposed licence fee for Austrian online gambling licences is €70,000. As for land-based casinos, the number of licences would be set at 13 nationwide at the next tender.
Measures against grey-market gambling operators
A cooling‑off period would require operators active on the grey market to cease all offerings in Austria by January 1 2027 until their licence is approved. Breaches would result in an 18‑month bar on licensing.
Another condition is that licences will be restricted to operators based in jurisdictions where Austrian court rulings are enforceable. The requirement appears to be a direct response to Malta’s controversial Bill 55, which is designed to shield MGA-licensed igaming operators from foreign legal claims, although the European Court of Justice appears to question its validity.
Entry into the Austrian online gaming market will also require the settlement of any outstanding tax debts and player protection claims, which could also complicate matters for some operators previously active on the grey market.
Player protection measures for online gambling in Austria
The draft framework also outlines limits on player activity. It proposes weekly deposit limits of €250 for customers aged 18–26 and a €1,680 monthly limit for players over 26. Deposit increases may be granted on request case-by-case for individuals aged 23 and above.
Online play would be restricted to €5 per stake, with winnings capped at €10,000. Each spin would have to last at least two seconds, and a mandatory break would apply after 90 minutes of continuous play. Jackpot features would be permitted.
Regulators would gain payment blocking powers, enabling them to blacklist IBANs and issue blocking orders to providers. IP blocking would be carried out through AWS, Cloudflare and Google. A centralised self‑exclusion register is also proposed, covering all gambling except lotteries, which will remain under the state‑run Win2Day.
Win2day is part of Casinos Austria, which has dominated gambling in the country for almost 60 years and has an exclusive licence to operate online gambling in Austria until 2027. In turn, Casinos Austria is majority-owned by the Austrian state through its holding company ÖBAG, with significant stakes also held by the state-owned bank Österreichische Beteiligungs AG and the Czech gaming group Allwyn (Sazka, part of KKCG).
