Vienna, Jan 15: Austria’s finance ministry is preparing a new draft law to underpin the country’s next casino monopoly tender, due for renewal in 2027, as pressure mounts from operators calling for an end to what they describe as a backward and restrictive system.
The Austria’s Ministry for Finance confirmed it is working on a draft that will form the basis of the upcoming tender in the coming months, but declined to say whether the long-standing monopoly model would be scrapped.
A ministry spokesperson said the draft would introduce “uniform player protection standards” across both online and land-based gambling, alongside “age-dependent loss-limits” and plans to establish an independent gambling authority. The proposals also envisage a tougher crackdown on unlicensed operators, including payment blocking, domain blocking and large financial penalties.
The confirmation follows a policy reversal late last year after a leaked draft from the finance ministry in December appeared to support maintaining the monopoly while sharply increasing enforcement against illegal online operators. That draft proposed measures such as payment and domain blocking, undercover regulatory “test plays” and tighter advertising restrictions on foreign casinos. After widespread criticism from the industry, the ministry said the proposals would be revised.
Political signals on the future of the monopoly have remained mixed. Austria’s three-party coalition promised a “further development” of the gambling monopoly in its February coalition pact, while the current monopoly tender is set to expire next year, fuelling speculation of a potential shift away from the legacy model.
Under the existing framework, Austria has a single licence covering lotteries and online gambling. The 15-year permit is held by Win2day, a brand of Casinos Austria, which also controls all 12 land-based casino licences. Austria’s state holding company, ÖBAG, owns a 33% stake in Casinos Austria.
Licensing timelines add urgency to the debate. Austrian attorney Arthur Stadler has said that six of the 12 offline casino licences will expire in 2027 alongside the single online licence, with the remaining six land-based licences set to expire in 2030.
Industry representatives warn that the outcome of the reform process could range from a worst-case scenario of a continued monopoly paired with harsher enforcement against black- and grey-market operators, to a best-case scenario involving a fully liberalised market. The Austrian gambling trade body OVWG has said a competitive opening could resemble Germany’s model, with around 30 licensees, overseen by an independent gambling authority the government aims to establish by 2029.
OVWG president Simon Priglinger-Simader cautioned against enforcement measures being introduced ahead of broader licensing reform. “Payment blocking should only come after licensing,” he said. “Otherwise, you don’t get what you need from a budget perspective.”
Operators have also criticised the current system for driving players toward unregulated providers. Monika Racek, chief executive of Austrian operator Admiral, said the monopoly was fuelling an expanding black market. “There are no player bans, no limits and no control,” she said, adding that the state was losing both tax revenue and oversight of player protection.
International operators have echoed calls for reform. Entain said it believed “it is in the best interests of all parties – most importantly for customers and the general public – that Austria adopts an open licensing system.”
