Austria submits draft gambling reforms to European Commission
EU member states now have time to raise any objections or concerns over Austria’s plan to open up its online gambling market.
Austria.- The government of Austria has presented its long-awaited draft gambling reforms to the European Commission (EC) for feedback. The move triggers a three-month standstill period under the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS), during which EU member states can review the proposed legislation and raise any objections or concerns regarding compliance with single market rules, competition law and the free movement of services.
The legislative proposals for the liberalisation of online gambling in Austria represent the country’s most significant regulatory overhaul in more than two decades, opening online gambling to competition and introducing new player protection requirements. The coalition government aims to implement the reforms in time for a market launch in October 2027, when the licence of the longstanding monopoly operator Win2Day expires.
Win2Day is part of Casinos Austria, which has dominated gambling in the country for almost 60 years. The company 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 gaming group Allwyn (formerly Sazka, part of KKCG).
This framework has faced repeated legal challenges, with various European operators arguing that Austria’s framework breaches EU principles. The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has previously urged Vienna to modernise its approach.
The new draft legislation would introduce an open licensing system for online gambling. Operators would have to meet financial, regulatory, and responsible gambling standards, while a cooling-off period would require companies currently serving Austrian customers illegally to cease operations by January 1, 2027, to be able to qualify for a licence.
Non-compliance would result in an 18-month ban, rising to 24 months from 2030. The Ministry of Finance also estimates that around 20,000 players could receive compensation from unlicensed operators over losses incurred on the grey market. The Austrian Betting and Gaming Association (OVWG) has argued that these transitional rules could fail to channel players into legal offerings, potentially strengthening the black market instead.
The new framework would also introduce regulatory enforcement tools such as payment blocking and network blocking to disrupt illegal services. As for player protection measures, deposit limits will apply to all licensed operators, with lower thresholds for players aged 18–26. A new platform will be created to oversee limits and compliance, and a national self-exclusion register will unify gambling bans across casinos, slot venues and online platforms.
New rules for slot machine rules will lower maximum stakes and game speeds and introduce a 90-minute cooling-off period after continuous play.
Meanwhile, up to 13 land-based casino licences would be available. These would be allocated in packages, which has sparked complaints from would-be smaller market entrants as the licences are likely to be split between a couple of large operators. The government says the aim is to avoid what it terms excessive competition.
