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Austria’s Finance Ministry says it is preparing a draft law that will set the ground rules for the country’s next casino and online gambling tender, a process that will decide what Austria’s regulated market looks like from 2027 onward.
The ministry has not committed publicly to ending Austria’s long-running monopoly model. But it confirmed that a legislative draft is in development and is expected to shape the tender framework in the coming months.
A draft that promises uniform standards and stronger enforcement
According to the Finance Ministry spokesperson quoted in industry reporting, the draft is expected to bring “uniform player protection standards” across online and land-based gambling, introduce age-based loss limits, and lay the groundwork for an independent gambling authority.
The same report says the draft also outlines tougher tools aimed at unlicensed operators, including payment and domain blocking, as well as significant financial penalties.
Those enforcement levers have become a central theme in Austria’s reform debate. The Finance Ministry already describes consumer protection and crime prevention as core goals of its gambling policy, but the new tender cycle is forcing the government to decide how it wants to execute those goals in a market where offshore operators remain easy to access.
The backdrop: a monopoly that expires in 2027
Austria’s structure is unusually concentrated by European standards. Online casino-style gaming is effectively limited to a single licensed platform, win2day, operated under Austrian Lotteries and tied to the Casinos Austria group.
But now, key licences will come up for renewal in 2027, including the exclusive online position. Analysts and industry stakeholders have treated the 2027 tender as the moment Austria either modernises its licensing model or doubles down on the existing structure.
The December leak and the ministry’s quick retreat
The draft now in development follows a messy episode late last year, when a leaked Finance Ministry document was widely read as favouring continuity: keep the monopoly and turn the enforcement dial sharply upward.
That leaked text was reported to include measures such as payment blocking, domain blocking, undercover “test play” activity by regulators, and tighter advertising restrictions on foreign-facing brands.
After criticism from across the sector, the ministry moved to distance itself from the leaked version, indicating changes would be made before anything formal was advanced.
Operators: enforcement without licensing won’t fix the core problem
Industry groups say higher standards are not the issue. The argument is about sequencing and incentives.
Austria’s online trade body OVWG, which represents several international operators, has warned that blocking tools should not become the headline policy while the market remains closed. OVWG president Simon Priglinger-Simader summed up the concern in one line: “Payment blocking should only come after licensing.”
Operators also keep pointing to channelisation. Monika Racek, CEO of Austrian operator Admiral, has argued that limited legal options drive players to unlicensed sites, where there are no limits, bans, or meaningful oversight.
International groups are echoing the same push. Entain, for example, has called for an open licensing system, framing it as the safer outcome for consumers and for public oversight.
Source: Tribuna
