Austria is preparing one of the most significant changes to its online gambling framework in years. The government has proposed a new gambling law that would replace the country’s highly restrictive online model with a controlled multi-licence system, allowing multiple operators to obtain Austrian online gambling concessions.
The proposed reform is designed to achieve two objectives at the same time: bring more online gambling activity into a regulated Austrian market and strengthen player protection.
As of September 2026, the reform is still moving through the legislative process. The legislation is undergoing the required European notification process, meaning the final licensing system has not yet entered into force.
Austria’s Online Gambling Market Is About to Change
Under the existing framework, Austria operates a gambling monopoly for several forms of gambling. The current system gives the Austrian Lotteries concession holder the right to operate electronic lotteries, including online gambling through win2day.
Foreign gambling licences do not, by themselves, authorize an operator to offer online gambling to customers in Austria under the current Austrian framework.
The proposed legislation would introduce a fundamentally different approach for online gambling.
The draft amendment to the Austrian Gambling Act provides for an unlimited number of online gambling concessions. This is the central element behind the description of Austria moving toward an “open licensing model.”
The model is not completely deregulated. Operators would still need to satisfy substantial financial, technical, regulatory and player-protection requirements before receiving a licence.
What Does the New Austrian Licensing Model Mean?
The proposed system would separate traditional lottery concessions from online gambling.
For online gambling, the draft law provides for an unlimited number of concessions. By contrast, existing concessions for certain lottery products would remain subject to a separate framework.
This means Austria would move away from a system in which a single concession effectively dominates the regulated online gambling market.
For international operators, this could create a new opportunity to enter Austria legally, provided they satisfy the requirements established by the new Gambling Act.
The first online gambling concessions could be issued from 1 January 2027, with the concessions becoming effective from 1 October 2027, according to the proposed transitional provisions.
Operators Will Have to Meet Strict Requirements
Opening the market does not mean lowering regulatory standards.
The proposed legislation contains specific conditions for applicants, including financial and compliance requirements. Applicants would need to meet requirements concerning outstanding gambling tax liabilities and enforceable civil court judgments related to player claims.
There is also an important requirement for operators that have previously offered gambling to Austrian customers without an Austrian licence.
Operators that were involved in prohibited online gambling activity would need to stop that activity from 1 January 2027 if they want to qualify for a new concession.
If an operator stops its prohibited activity after the end of 2026, the proposed legislation introduces a cooling-off or exclusion period. In certain circumstances, this can be 18 months, increasing to 24 months for activity that continues beyond the end of 2029.
This creates an important incentive for offshore operators: the Austrian market may become accessible, but previous regulatory non-compliance could affect when an operator becomes eligible.
The Licence Would Initially Last Five Years
The proposed concession structure also establishes a relatively short initial licence period.
An online gambling concession would be valid for a maximum of five years when first granted. A subsequent renewal could last for up to 10 years.
This approach gives Austrian regulators the possibility to assess an operator’s compliance record before granting a longer renewal.
For operators, that makes regulatory compliance particularly important during the initial licence period.
Austria Is Also Increasing Online Gambling Taxation
The opening of the market comes with a substantial tax burden.
Under the proposed legislation, online gambling would be subject to a 45% gambling tax on annual gross gaming revenue (GGR).
This is a major consideration for operators evaluating whether Austria is commercially attractive.
A multi-licence market can potentially increase competition and consumer choice, but the combination of taxation, compliance costs, technical requirements and player-protection obligations means that entry will not be inexpensive.
The government therefore appears to be pursuing a model based on market opening combined with strong fiscal and regulatory control, rather than a low-tax liberalisation strategy.
Player Protection Is at the Centre of the Reform
The Austrian reform is not simply a market-opening measure. Player protection is one of its central elements.
One of the most significant proposed changes would be a central, cross-operator self-exclusion and exclusion register.
Instead of player exclusions being handled independently by individual operators, the system would allow exclusions to be recorded centrally across different gambling products.
The proposed framework would also introduce an online gambling monitoring system capable of tracking deposits across licensed operators.
The proposed mandatory minimum deposit limits would include:
- up to €250 per week for players up to their 26th birthday;
- up to €1,680 per month for players aged 26 and over.
Players above certain age thresholds could potentially receive different limits if the relevant requirements concerning player risk and monitoring are satisfied.
Operators would also be required to participate in the central online gambling monitoring system.
Why Is Austria Changing Its System?
One of the main reasons cited for reform is the growth of illegal online gambling.
Austria’s existing system creates a particularly unusual situation. A single federal lottery concession covers online gambling, while other online gambling offers accessible from Austria are generally operated by companies holding licences from other countries.
Under the Austrian regulatory framework, those foreign licences do not automatically make such offers legal in Austria.
The government is therefore seeking to increase the proportion of gambling activity taking place within the regulated Austrian market.
This process is often referred to as channelisation — moving consumers from unlicensed operators toward regulated providers.
The reform combines market opening with stronger enforcement against operators that remain outside the Austrian licensing system.
Payment Blocking and Website Blocking Are Part of the Strategy
The proposed legislation would give Austrian authorities additional tools against illegal online gambling.
These include:
- payment blocking;
- blocking access to illegal gambling websites;
- blacklisting of illegal operators;
- covert test gambling by enforcement authorities.
The objective is to make it significantly harder for unlicensed operators to accept Austrian customers and payments.
Austria is therefore not simply saying that more operators can enter the market. It is also attempting to make the regulated market more enforceable by restricting access to unlicensed alternatives.
The Austrian Gambling Market Is Already Substantial
The economic importance of the sector helps explain why the reform matters.
Preliminary industry figures indicate that the combined gross gaming and betting revenue of gambling and sports betting in Austria increased by approximately 4.3% in 2025 to around €2.48 billion.
Lottery gambling generated around €800 million in gross gaming revenue, representing an increase of approximately 5.7% compared with the previous year.
These figures cover gambling and sports betting and should not be interpreted as the size of the online casino market alone. Nevertheless, they demonstrate that Austria represents a sizeable gambling economy.
Public-health data also shows how widespread gambling is in Austria.
Around half of the population aged 15 and over participates in gambling at least once a year, while approximately 40% participate monthly when lottery products such as Lotto and Toto are included.
Estimates indicate that around 4% of the population meet criteria for at least a mild form of problematic or pathological gambling behaviour.
These numbers help explain why player protection is such a central component of the proposed licensing model.
What Could the Reform Mean for International Operators?
If the proposal becomes law in its current form, Austria could become considerably more accessible to international gambling companies.
The most important change is the removal of the effective single-operator structure for online gambling and the introduction of multiple concessions.
However, Austria is unlikely to become a simple “licence and launch” jurisdiction.
Operators would need to consider:
- Austrian licensing requirements;
- substantial minimum capital requirements;
- a 45% GGR gambling tax;
- technical monitoring and reporting;
- central deposit-limit requirements;
- responsible gambling obligations;
- Austrian consumer and player-protection rules;
- restrictions on previously unlicensed activity;
- payment and technical compliance.
The proposed minimum capital requirement for an online gambling concession is €10 million.
The application fee is proposed at €70,000, while the concession fee would be €300,000 for the initial online gambling concession and €600,000 for a subsequent renewal.
These costs mean that Austria is likely to appeal primarily to established operators with the financial and technical resources needed to operate in a heavily regulated environment.
A Controlled Opening Rather Than Full Liberalisation
The phrase “open gambling licensing model” therefore needs some context.
Austria is not proposing a completely free market. Instead, the reform would create a controlled multi-licence market.
The state would determine who can enter, how operators must monitor customers, how much players can deposit, how gambling activity is recorded and how illegal operators are blocked.
The key change is that there could be multiple licensed online gambling operators rather than a single effective online concession holder.
This could increase competition, product choice and legal market availability while simultaneously giving Austrian authorities more direct oversight of operators and players.
What Happens Next?
The legislative process is still underway.
The proposed gambling legislation has entered the European notification process and remains subject to the remaining legislative steps before the new framework can take effect.
If the timetable in the proposal is maintained, the new online gambling concessions could be issued from January 2027, with licences taking effect from October 2027.
The timing could still change depending on the legislative process and any amendments made before final adoption.
Conclusion
Austria is moving toward a significant restructuring of its online gambling market.
The proposed Austria open gambling licensing model would allow an unlimited number of online gambling concessions while maintaining strict financial, technical and responsible-gambling requirements.
The reform would introduce a 45% GGR gambling tax, centralised deposit monitoring, cross-operator exclusion measures and stronger enforcement against unlicensed operators.
For international gambling companies, the proposal could transform Austria from one of Europe’s most restrictive online gambling markets into a regulated multi-operator jurisdiction.
But the opportunity comes with a high price: significant capital requirements, heavy taxation and demanding player-protection obligations.
If the legislation survives the remaining parliamentary and European notification process, 2027 could become a defining year for the Austrian online gambling market.
Andrew Mitchell
This is a very interesting development for Austria’s online gambling market. Moving from a restrictive model toward a multi-licence system could create more competition and give international operators a clearer path into the market. At the same time, the high tax rate and strict player-protection requirements show that this will be a highly regulated environment. It will be interesting to see how the proposed framework develops and which operators decide to enter the Austrian market.