Operators expect reforms to liberalise online casino gaming in Austria by year end
The OVWG expects political parties to reach an agreement to end Casinos Austria’s monopoly.
Austria.- The Austrian Association for Betting and Gambling (OVWG), an interest group comprising major gambling operators, has said that it is optimistic that there will soon be regulatory reforms to open online casino gambling in Austria to competition.
It expects The ÖVP (Austrian People’s Party), SPÖ (Social Democratic Party) and Neos (National Socialist Party) to reach an agreement on reforms by the end of this year in order to end the current monopoly of Casinos Austria over the igaming vertical.
The group, which counts Merkur, Bet365, Entain and LeoVegas among its members, is pushing for lawmakers to speed up proceedings. It notes that with Finland preparing to introduce commercial licensed igaming for 2027, Poland and Austria will be left as the last major Western European countries with monopoly gambling operations.
The OVWG has long argued that the Austrian gambling monopoly is not economically justifiable. In a recent report, it said that tax revenues from a licensed online market would be “many times higher” than they are now, possibly reaching €1.4bn by 2031. It also claims that player protection would be improved under a competitve market through innovation and the use of international best practice, while there would be less cause for players to turn to the black market.
The group predicts that up to 30 operators would be ready to enter a competitive Austrian online gambling market immediately if licensing is opened. It noted that there are 30 operators active in Germany and Denmark and forecast that Austria would see a similar number if the licence conditions are “reasonably defined”.
However, the OVWG said it would also welcome a smaller market opening with a limited number of licences. Some operators, such as Tipico and Entain’s Bwin, could have an advantage as they already have a presence through sports betting in Austria.
This week, Austria had representatives present at the conference of DACHL gambling regulators hosted by the German gambling regulator Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) in Halle. The meeting was intended to promote professional cooperation among German-speaking regulatory authorities and was also attended by representatives from Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The meeting focused on the exchange of best practices and and the evaluation of developments in gambling law. One major topic of the conference was on measures to combat illegal gambling, including the use of technical measures such as IP blocking. Best practices and the various legal and technical approaches were discussed, and regulators pledged to intensify international cooperation in this area.
