TLDR
- Austria’s Finance Ministry has drafted a law to end its online casino monopoly and allow multiple operators to apply for licenses
- Operators must settle outstanding court rulings and pay backdated taxes to qualify, which could lock out smaller companies
- Weekly deposit limits would cap young players under 26 at €250 and older players at €1,680
- Maximum stakes would drop to €2 per spin, jackpots would be banned, and max winnings cut to €2,000
- A new independent gambling authority may not be established until 2030, and the timeline for issuing licenses remains uncertain
A leaked draft law from Austria’s Finance Ministry outlines plans to open the country’s online casino market to multiple operators for the first time. The move would end a long-standing monopoly currently held by Austrian Lotteries’ brand Win2day.
Under the current system, only one license exists for lotteries and online gaming in Austria. That 15-year permit belongs to Win2day, a subsidiary of Casinos Austria, which also holds all 12 land-based casino licenses in the country.
The draft law states that “several providers will be able to offer online gambling in Austria in future” under what it calls a “strictly regulated licensing system.” Lotteries would remain a monopoly, but online casinos would be open to an uncapped number of operators.
Initial licenses would be granted for five years, with the option to extend for another 10 years.
Backdated Taxes Could Block Smaller Operators
While international operators have pushed for access to the Austrian market for years, the cost of entry may be steep. According to Vienna-based gambling lawyer Arthur Stadler, operators must settle outstanding Austrian court rulings and pay taxes dating back to the years they operated in the country.
Stadler told iGB that these “incredibly high sums” could effectively lock smaller operators out of the market. He described the requirement as a de facto cap on licenses, even though no formal cap exists in the draft.
Still, Stadler said the decision not to impose a formal cap on the number of licenses is a positive step.
The requirement to resolve player claims and fill any gaps in past tax payments adds a layer of complexity for companies hoping to enter the market.
Tough Player Protection Rules Proposed
The draft law includes strict new player protection measures. Players under 26 would face a weekly deposit limit of €250 per operator. Older players would be capped at €1,680 per week, though this could be raised if they prove “sufficient liquidity.”
Maximum stakes would be set at €2 per spin or game. That is a sharp reduction from current thresholds of €5 to €10.
Maximum winnings would also fall to €2,000, down from the current range of €5,000 to €10,000. Jackpots would be banned entirely under the proposed rules.
Players would also be required to take a 15-minute break after 90 minutes of continuous play. A national self-exclusion scheme would be run through the regulator.
The draft says protections from land-based gambling would be carried over to the online market. “This ensures that online gambling is subject to the same high standards of player protection as land-based slot machine gambling,” the document reads.
The Social Democratic Party, which heads the Finance Ministry, first introduced these proposals in January. An earlier version included extending the monopoly, but that was dropped after backlash from coalition partners.
The timeline for the new licensing system remains unclear. Win2day’s current license expires in 2027, but the draft suggests it could be extended if the concessions process faces delays or legal challenges.
An independent gambling authority may not be set up until 2030. Until then, the Finance Ministry would handle the licensing process.
The draft must still be negotiated between Austria’s three coalition parties — the SPÖ, NEOS, and ÖVP — and finalized before a parliamentary vote ahead of the summer recess in early July.
Simon Priglinger-Simader, president of the ÖVWG trade association, said he is “feeling more hopeful than ever” but noted that some “tricky points” still need to be resolved in the coming days.
