Austria has sent a draft overhaul of its gambling rules to the European Commission, beginning a mandatory three-month standstill period before the proposed legislation can take effect. The Ministry of Finance submitted the package on Tuesday, while parliamentary procedures can continue during the review.
The European Commission can examine the proposal for potential issues involving state aid and single market rules. If the process proceeds as planned, Austria could open its gambling market to new licensed operators in October 2027.
New Player Protection Rules Proposed
The legislation would introduce a nationwide exclusion register covering self-exclusions and operator bans across casino gaming, slot machines and online gambling. The system would prevent excluded customers from moving between products or operators to avoid restrictions.
Online gambling and slot machines would also face mandatory deposit limits. Lower limits would apply to players aged 18 to 26. The draft would further reduce maximum slot stakes and require slower game speeds. Players would receive a cooling-off break after 90 consecutive minutes.
Operators would also have to assess the addiction potential of their products, supporting research and gambling policy.
A digital supervisory platform would oversee a central deposit limit independent of individual operators. Authorities would also gain payment blocking, blacklisting and network blocking tools to restrict unlicensed operators from reaching Austrian customers.
Open Licensing Would Reshape the Market
Austria plans to replace its existing structure with open licensing for online gambling. Operators currently serving customers illegally would have to stop those activities by January 1, 2027, to qualify immediately for a license.
Businesses that fail to meet the transitional requirements would face an 18-month waiting period, increasing to 24 months from 2030. Applicants would also need to settle outstanding tax obligations and unpaid claims involving about 20,000 affected players.
The Austrian Betting and Gaming Association (OVWG) has questioned whether the transition will deliver strong channelization toward Win2Day and legal land-based operators. It expects the black market could benefit if the framework fails to shift customers effectively.
The casino proposal would allow a maximum of 13 licenses, potentially distributed through packages. Licensing authorities would have to consider competition levels and geographical distribution when awarding concessions.
License Structure Draws Criticism
Niklas Sattler, a former Casinos Austria employee, argued that individual concessions would provide a fairer market opening. Casinos Austria, which currently holds the casino monopoly, has advocated retaining the package system.
Sattler expects the eventual tender could involve one package containing six licenses and another containing seven. Such an arrangement could allow a major competitor such as Merkur to enter while making participation harder for smaller operators.
“We believe it’s quite unfair,” Sattler added.
Political analyst Felix Geyer also questioned the timetable. “Given how slow political processes in Austria can be, I’m sceptical about whether they will be able to hand out licences within 12 months,” he said. “Especially since I don’t expect them to begin before the law actually comes into force.”
The European review now represents the next formal stage. If subsequent steps remain on schedule, Austria’s newly structured market could open in October 2027.
Source:
“Austria advances draft gambling law to EU review in next step for open licensing”, igamingbusiness.com, August 4, 2026
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