The Ministry of Finance of Austria has submitted the draft of its Gambling Law to be reviewed by the European Commission (EC).

The submission will trigger a three-month standstill period, to allow the EC to review the compatibility of Austria’s gambling policies with EU market laws on fair-competition, barriers of entry to market and the free movement of services.

The review is carried out in accordance with the rules of the EC’s Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) allowing member states to submit opinions and objections on individual policies of the legislative text.

Since 2015, Austria has debated reform of the Gambling Act of 1989 (Glücksspielgesetz – GSpG), which established the country’s monopoly gambling framework through exclusive licences held by Österreichische Lotterien for lotteries and online gambling, and Casinos Austria for land-based casinos.

In the preceding years Austria’s monopoly gambling framework has been the subject of repeated legal challenges, as European operators argue that the exclusive licensing regime for online gambling is incompatible with EU principles on the free movement of services. 

Due to multiple legal challenges submitted to the European Court of Justice (CJEU), the EC has previously urged Austrian governments to overhaul laws related to online gambling. 

In 2026, Austria’s coalition government of the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS agreed the first comprehensive package to reform the country’s gambling laws, to begin the most significant overhaul of the Glücksspielgesetz in more than three decades. 

The draft legislation represents the most significant reform of Austrian gambling laws in more than three decades. 

At its centre is the replacement of the monopoly with an open online licensing framework, allowing operators that meet strict regulatory, financial and responsible gambling standards to enter the market.

To qualify for a licence, operators currently serving Austrian consumers without authorisation must cease operations by 1 January 2027. 

Companies that fail to comply will be barred from obtaining a licence for 18 months, increasing to 24 months from 2030, while all outstanding tax liabilities and unresolved player compensation claims must be settled before a licence is granted.

The Ministry of Finance estimates the reforms could provide restitution for approximately 20,000 Austrian consumers with outstanding claims against unlicensed operators. 

Alongside licensing reforms, authorities will gain stronger enforcement powers, including payment blocking, blacklisting and network blocking to disrupt illegal gambling services, supported by a new digital supervisory platform overseeing operator-independent deposit limits.

Moreover, the changes will see the introduction of a national self-exclusion register that for the first time will include cross-operator and cross-product support.

Player protection measures will see self- and operator-imposed exclusions span across casinos, slot machine venues and iGaming providers, preventing players from circumventing restrictions by switching between licensed operators.

New rules will also see the rollout of a centralised age-based deposit limit that applies to all licensed online gambling operators, with those aged between 18 and 26 subjected to lower limits in accordance with Austria’s efforts to protect younger adults.

For slot machines, reforms will lower maxim stakes, reduced game speeds, and introduce a mandatory 90-minute cool off period when continuous play is detected.

Compliance with all of the above will be monitored through a new digital regulatory platform that will strengthen player protection compliance oversight.

Article contributions from Viktor Kayed