Austria's Finance Ministry has circulated a leaked draft law that would end the country's online casino monopoly and open the market to multiple licensed operators.
A leaked draft law from Austria’s Finance Ministry moves the country toward a major overhaul of its online gambling framework, proposing to end the long-standing online casino monopoly and allow multiple licensed operators to compete in the market for the first time.
According to the draft, obtained by iGB and subsequently reported by multiple outlets, the reforms would establish a “strictly regulated licensing system” under which several providers would be permitted to offer online casino products in Austria.
The Finance Ministry said the approach would redirect players away from the illegal market and establish the highest possible standards of player protection. The proposals remain subject to coalition negotiations and parliamentary approval.
Austria currently operates under a monopoly model in which only one licence is available for lotteries and online gaming products. That permit is held by Win2day, a subsidiary of Casinos Austria, which also controls all 12 of the country’s land-based casino licences.
Under the proposed reforms, lotteries would remain a monopoly. The online casino licence pool would be opened to an uncapped number of operators, with no formal cap proposed, though financial and legal conditions may limit effective access in practice. Licences would initially run for five years, with a possible 10-year extension.
Access to the new framework comes at a significant cost. Arthur Stadler, a Vienna-based lawyer specialising in gambling law, told iGB that operators may only qualify for a licence by settling outstanding Austrian court rulings and paying Austrian taxes, including retroactively.
The draft also requires applicants to hold paid-in capital of at least €10m and to be organised as a corporation with a supervisory board registered in the EU or European Economic Area.
Stadler warned that these conditions could represent “incredibly high sums” that effectively lock smaller operators out of the market, acting as a de facto cap despite the absence of a formal licence ceiling. He nevertheless described the lack of a formal cap as an extremely positive development.
The draft introduces sweeping consumer safeguards modelled closely on existing land-based standards.
Players under the age of 26 would be limited to depositing €250 per week per operator. Older players would face a €1,680 weekly cap unless they can demonstrate sufficient liquidity.
Maximum stakes would be set at €2 per game or spin, significantly below the current thresholds of €5 or €10, and maximum winnings would be reduced to €2,000 per game. Jackpots would be banned entirely.
The draft would also require players to take a mandatory 15-minute cooling-off break after 90 minutes of continuous play. Continuous monitoring of online gaming activity would be introduced alongside a national self-exclusion system operated by the gambling regulator.
The path to legislation remains uncertain. The SPÖ-led Finance Ministry initially proposed reinforcing the monopoly in an earlier draft but withdrew that position after coalition feedback.
Win2day‘s current licence expires in 2027, though the draft includes provisions for extensions if legal or administrative delays occur. An independent gambling authority may not be established until 2030, meaning the Finance Ministry would oversee the licensing process in the interim.
Simon Priglinger-Simader, president of the ÖVWG trade association, said:
“Feeling more hopeful than ever.”
The draft still requires negotiation among Austria’s three governing coalition parties, the SPÖ, the liberal NEOS and the centre-right ÖVP, before a parliamentary vote expected ahead of the summer recess in early July.
Should the bill pass, Austria would join a growing list of European markets that have moved away from monopoly structures. An uncapped licence regime in a large, underserved market would represent a major commercial opportunity, tempered by retroactive tax obligations which will serve as a barrier to entry for smaller players.
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