Austria publishes long-awaited draft law for online gambling liberalisation
The proposed framework appears likely to include a mandatory cooling-off period for grey market operators of online gambling in Austria.
Austria.- The coalition government has finally taken a decisive step towards ending the long‑standing monopoly over online gaming in Austria. The draft law outlines plans to open the Austrian igaming market to multiple operators from October 2027.
However, the liberalisation won’t be open to all. Local media reports clarify that aspiring licence applicants will have their past conduct examined and may have to wait out a mandatory cooling-off period if they have been active in the market without a licence.
According to the major newspaper Kronen Zeitung, the rules around the cooling-off period will bar market entry for any operator who has provided online gambling services in Austria illegally in the previous 18 months. Following the launch of the new framework, the exclusion period will extend to 24 months from 2030 onward. Companies will also be required to settle outstanding taxes and player compensation rulings from earlier years.
The proposal of a cooling-off period is hardly unexpected. The Netherlands took a similar approach ahead of its introduction of regulated online gambling in 2021, leading several major operators to stop targeting the market while they waited for the period to elapse before they could apply for licences. However, it may mean that those active on the grey market have a disadvantage in coming to the regulated market later than rivals.
The move is likely to be welcomed by Casinos Austria, the land‑based monopoly operator whose subsidiary Austrian Lotteries currently holds the only online gaming licence in the country for its Win2Day brand. However, the Austrian Betting and Gaming Association (OVWG) has warned that the move could harm the launch of a competitive regulated market by eliminating several operators. It argues that this could favour black market operators that have no intention of obtaining licences.
Other measures in the proposed framework for online gambling in Austria include revised limits for online slot stakes. A previous leaked version of the legislative proposal mooted a cut to the maximum stake for online slots from €10 to €2, which drew strong criticism from the industry, including from Casinos Austria. The latest version still reduces the stake limit but only to €5.
Customer winnings will remain capped at €10,000, rather than the €2,000 ceiling suggested earlier, and jackpots will continue to be allowed.
Players will also face a weekly deposit limit of €1,680, (€250 per week for under 26s). Game design will also be tightly controlled, with mandatory breaks and restrictions on spin speed.
The draft law also opens the door to competition in the land‑based casino sector. A total of 13 casino licences will be available in the next tender, either as standalone licences or grouped into packages, although the market will not be fully liberalised.
Win2day is part of Casinos Austria, which has dominated gambling in the country for almost 60 years. Its online gambling licence is coming up for renewal in 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).
It currently has an exclusive 15‑year licence for lotteries and online gaming while also operating all 12 land‑based casino concessions in Austria.
