Austria is finally opening up its online gambling market. The three-party coalition just agreed on what they're calling the biggest gambling reform in 26 years. Basically, it is an end to the Win2day monopoly and opens online casino licensing to private operators.
The requirements include: minimum €10 million share capital, working AML and player protection systems, and any operator that's currently running without an Austrian licence needs to stop by January 1, 2027, until licences are actually awarded. Those who comply with the cooling-off period can apply from September 2027. Those who don't face an 18-month ban on top of that.
Player protection side was seen as quite strict: €250 weekly deposit limit for under-26s, €1,680 monthly for everyone else, mandatory breaks after 90 minutes, minimum 2-second spin intervals on slots, €5 max stake. They're also lifting the jackpot ban, which is an interesting carrot to make the regulated market more attractive.
Interesting to see that a lot of operators retreated from Austria after the courts started letting players claw back losses from unlicensed sites. Now there's a debate about whether those same operators should be allowed straight back in or face a 24-36 month cooling-off period.
Parliament wants to pass it before the summer recess in early July.
The requirements include: minimum €10 million share capital, working AML and player protection systems, and any operator that's currently running without an Austrian licence needs to stop by January 1, 2027, until licences are actually awarded. Those who comply with the cooling-off period can apply from September 2027. Those who don't face an 18-month ban on top of that.
Player protection side was seen as quite strict: €250 weekly deposit limit for under-26s, €1,680 monthly for everyone else, mandatory breaks after 90 minutes, minimum 2-second spin intervals on slots, €5 max stake. They're also lifting the jackpot ban, which is an interesting carrot to make the regulated market more attractive.
Interesting to see that a lot of operators retreated from Austria after the courts started letting players claw back losses from unlicensed sites. Now there's a debate about whether those same operators should be allowed straight back in or face a 24-36 month cooling-off period.
Parliament wants to pass it before the summer recess in early July.
