Austria has confirmed that the Finance Ministry is preparing a draft law for a new casino tender process in 2027, as operators continue to call for an end to the market’s...
Austria to launch multi-operator iGaming market
Leaked gambling reform drafts have revealed that Austria’s Finance Ministry has developed plans to liberalize the gambling sector and allow multiple operators to offer online gambling in the country.
The draft laws were first reported by iGB, which stated that the government is looking to move away from the existing monopoly model and start issuing licenses to more operators. At the moment, Austria’s regulated operator is Casinos Austria, whose subsidiary Win2day holds the only license for iGaming, but the new laws suggest that while lotteries will stay under the monopoly, unlimited operators would be permitted to offer online casinos.
The draft law stated:
“Several providers will be able to offer online gambling in Austria in the future under a strictly regulated licensing system.”
According to the proposal, players under 26 would be faced with $290 weekly deposit limits, while users over 26 would be capped at $1,949 deposits. Additionally, jackpot games would be banned, while maximum winnings would be decreased.
A national self-exclusion system would be introduced, and players would have to take 15-minute mandatory breaks after 90 minutes of non-stop gaming.
The new licenses are expected to be granted for 5 years, with the opportunity to later extend them by 10 years. Moreover, Win2day’s current license is set to expire in 2027; however, it’s unclear whether the gambling reforms will take place by then.
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