New Austrian gambling legislation expected by year end
New legislation will prepare the ground for new casino and lottery tenders in Austria.
Austria.- The Austria Press Agency (APA) has reported that the governing coalition of ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS aims to present new draft gambling legislation before the year’s end. The bill is expected to take effect early in 2026 to address the looming expiration of monopoly licences in the coming few years.
At present, gambling in Austria functions under two linked monopolies. The 12 land-based casinos in Austria are run by Casinos Austria AG, which is 59 per cent owned by Allwyn and 33 per cent by the state company ÖBAG. Österreichische Lotterien (OL) oversees lotteries, and OL’s Win2Day is the only authorised online gambling platform.
Austrian Lotteries (OL) and Win2Day are majority controlled by ÖLG Holding, which is itself ultimately owned by Casinos Austria.
The lottery concession, which also covers Win2Day, is due to expire in autumn 2027, while Casinos Austria’s licence is to lapse between 2027 and 2030. Many international operators have a grey-market presence in the market using EU-based licences or operate on the black market with no licence at all.
It’s been reported that Brightstar (formerly IGT) is considering taking part in the upcoming tender for the Austrian lottery concession. Der Standard has reported that the company is in talks with Österreichische Post AG about forming a consortium, which would be a curious move since Austrian Post is 53 per cent owned by ÖBAG.
The Austrian Association for Betting and Gambling (OVWG), an interest group comprising major gambling operators, has previously expressed optimism that there will soon be regulatory reforms to open online casino gambling in Austria to competition. It said it expected the coalition government to reach an agreement by the end of this year in order to end the current monopoly of Casinos Austria over the igaming vertical.
