Austria Notifies European Commission of Draft Legislation to End iGaming Monopoly
The proposed legislation introduces a unified, cross-operator self-exclusion register covering all verticals across the Austrian market, encompassing land-based casinos, slot arcades, and digital platforms. The system will record both voluntary self-exclusions and operator-mandated bans.
Austria has taken a decisive step towards overhaul of its domestic gambling framework after submitting draft legislation to the European Commission, initiating the transition to a regulated multi-operator licensing system for online gambling.
The notification to Brussels triggers a mandatory three-month standstill period ending on 5 November, during which the EU will review the proposed framework. While final enactment must await the end of the standstill window, domestic parliamentary proceedings in Austria will proceed concurrently. The legislative overhaul dismantles the long-standing online gambling monopoly currently held by Casinos Austria and its win2day brand, establishing an open licensing regime for digital operators.
Outlining the primary objective of the draft law, the Austrian Ministry of Finance stated:
Improving player protection to avert personal and societal risks is a key priority of the amendment.
Centralised Exclusion and Enhanced Player Protections
The proposed legislation introduces a unified, cross-operator self-exclusion register covering all verticals across the Austrian market, encompassing land-based casinos, slot arcades, and digital platforms. The system will record both voluntary self-exclusions and operator-mandated bans.
The reform also establishes statutory deposit limits across online gambling and land-based slot operations, featuring reduced deposit caps specifically tailored for young adults aged 18 to 26. In addition, operators will face a statutory obligation to submit risk-assessment analyses on gambling addiction potential to support evidence-based oversight. For land-based slot machines, the draft law mandates lower maximum stakes, reduced game speeds, and a compulsory cooling-off break after 90 minutes of continuous play.
Mandatory Exit Rules and Enforcement Infrastructure
To qualify for an online licence, grey-market operators currently targeting Austrian consumers must cease unlicensed operations by 1 January 2027. Operators failing to exit by the deadline face a mandatory exclusion period barring them from licence eligibility for 18 months, extending to 24 months from 2030 onwards.
Applicants must also settle all outstanding tax liabilities not barred by statute, alongside unresolved player compensation claims. The government highlighted that these retrospective requirements would ensure “justice” for approximately 20,000 affected consumers in Austria. To enforce compliance, regulatory authorities will deploy payment blocking, domain blacklisting, and IP network restrictions.
Emphasising the strategy behind the enforcement toolkit, the Ministry noted:
These measures aim to significantly increase the rate at which players are channeled from illegal to legal offerings.
Furthermore, a digital supervisory system for online gambling is being established to implement a centralized, cross-operator deposit limit.
Land-Based Casino Concessions
Alongside online reforms, the draft bill updates the framework governing land-based casino concessions, currently operated by Casinos Austria.
The total number of land-based casino licences will be fixed at 13, with the option to award concessions individually or in combined packages. Where package bidding occurs, selection criteria will prioritise minimising regional competition between venues to support player protection goals and maintain balanced economic distribution.
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